A Thief in the Palace
by Midna Azusa
Summary: Mana's been living on the streets for most of her life. What happens when she runs into the prince of Egypt and he decides to change that? Vaseshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**This is kind of based off Aladdin since I was watching that movie when I got the idea. The beginning seems a lot like Aladdin, but the rest won't really be anything like it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! I still don't own Yugioh in case anyone had the crazy idea that I did.**

"Stop, thief!" The guards were in hot pursuit of the thief from the market. There was nothing that annoyed Mahad—head of the palace guard—worse than having to send his guards out chasing worthless thieves, except watching them fail to catch the thieves. This was one of those times as the girl ran down the street with her stolen food.

Stopping and looking back, she said, "These guys have nothing better to do, do they? Honestly, it's one loaf of bread." She ran down a side street, trying to lose the guards.

Unfortunately for her, the town was crawling with guards, some of whom were in front of her. "Oh, hey guys," she said with a grin. Then she turned and ran into someone's house. The people inside screamed, shocked by her intrusion. "Don't mind me, just passing through!" She bolted through the main room and out a window on the other side.

Usually, she didn't have this much trouble getting her food, but this time the guards had seen her. More specifically, the priest in charge of commanding the guards was visiting town today, and he saw her. "The pharaoh needs to hire people who are more concerned with catching real criminals than me! For crying out loud, I only steal what I need! It's not like I'm a grave robber!"

Having lost the guards for now, she decided to avoid them even more by blending in with the crowd. When some guards came through the crowd toward her, she pushed through the crowd until she was fairly well hidden from view. They went right passed her.

Quickly and carefully, she made her way back to her home. A man she passed on the way said, "Hey, Mana. I see the guards are madly searching for a thief. In trouble again, are we?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense. You're only in trouble if you get caught!" Then she scurried off toward her home, a ruined building that most people passed off as empty. It might not have been much, but it was her home. Probably where she would be living her entire life—at least until it completely collapsed.

"Home sweet home," she sighed. It wasn't much, but it was her home.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a young man was sneaking around the palace. But, unlike most people who sneaked around in the palace, he was trying to sneak out. The cloak he wore hid his identity, so (he hoped) nobody in town would recognize him. He wanted out.<p>

The man in question was Prince Atem. He was next in line to become pharaoh, and he had never been outside the palace walls. His father was ill, so the throne might be passed to him soon. Before that, he was determined to get out and see the town, while he still had relatively little to worry about.

As he slipped out the gate, he was relieved to find that the guards were immersed in conversation. "The thief in the market got away again. That street-rat is fast!"

"We'll get her one of these days. We just have to find out where she's hiding."

Atem made a mental note to thank this thief after he became pharaoh, maybe by ordering the guards to leave her alone. He also found it amusing that a woman was causing the guards so much trouble. Maybe she was using her feminine charm to distract them before she ran for it.

The sun was just coming up as Atem entered the town. The merchants in the market were getting ready to open. Once the market opened, things got more exciting. People were all over, buying the various merchandise sold by the merchants. Merchants called out to him, trying to get him to buy something.

A young boy caught Atem's attention. He had white hair, and was probably about ten or eleven. He was standing off to the side of one of the stands, talking to the merchant. As Atem watched, a girl came around the other side of the stand and swiped some of the food from it. As if on cue, the moment the girl had gotten away from the stand, the boy ended his conversation and walked off, toward the girl. Narrowing his eyes, Atem followed the thieves down a side street.

"Great job, kid! We should team up more often. You're so cute and innocent, nobody would ever suspect you were working with me," the girl said to the boy.

"Uh, okay. So, can we eat now?"

The girl laughed as she handed the boy some of their stolen food. "Sure, kid, sure."

"Hold it!" Atem called. The girl froze, staring right at him. The boy turned wide eyes on him. "That's not yours. Either return it right now, or I'll turn you in."

The girl threw her hands up in exasperation. "Honestly, isn't it bad enough that the guards and merchants have it out for me? Seriously, what did I do to deserve this?"

"That depends," said Atem. "How long have you been stealing?"

She shrugged. "As long as I can remember. But, hey, you've got to eat to live, don't you?" She put her hands on her hips. "Honestly, your kind doesn't appreciate that I'm broke!"

Atem froze. These two were homeless? "Where are your parents?"

"Mine? Dead. His? Not a clue."

"So you aren't related?"

"Not in the least. We just met today. Which means if you turn us in, this kid has never stolen anything in his life. That's all me."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "You just admitted you're a thief."

The girl shrugged. "Why would I deny it? The whole town knows, including one of the pharaoh's priests, so I see no reason why I should try to lie about it."

"So you're an honest thief?" Atem asked with a smirk.

She grinned. "Yeah, you could say that."

The boy sighed from relief, apparently viewing the danger of being caught as passed, and ate his stolen food. The girl looked at the boy, then back at Atem warily. Atem just looked at the boy. Seeing that he wasn't going to turn them in, the girl relaxed.

"So," Atem asked, "who are you two?"

"I'm Mana," the girl said. "This kid's Ryo." The boy waved in response. "And who might you be?"

"Well, I might be the prince of Egypt," he said seriously. Mana laughed.

"Yeah, but I doubt that! Okay, who are you, really?"

Stunned, it took Atem a moment to answer her. "Atem. My name is Atem."

Mana nodded. "Nice to meet you. Now, it might be a good idea for us to get farther from the scene of the crime, Ryo," she added, looking at the boy, who nodded.

Atem watched them for a moment before following. He made sure not to let them see him, and he made no noise so as not to be heard. These two were two of his people; he had to know where they lived so that, when he returned to the palace, he could have somebody come out and fetch the two. After all, they needed help if they were stealing for survival. As prince of Egypt, he viewed it as his responsibility to make sure that they were dealt with appropriately—not as thieves but as people in need.

Mana led Ryo down a series of streets that Atem was certain was meant to throw off any guards who might be following—or any other people. Did she suspect that he was following? If she did, she must have thought that they had lost him because she finally announced to Ryo that they had arrived.

As the two entered the dilapidated building, Atem wondered if it was even safe for anyone to live in there. It looked ready to fall down at any minute. However, he supposed it made sense that they would seek refuge in such a place. Nobody else was living there, and it was free. Hoping the roof wouldn't cave in, Atem entered the building after the two of them.

"So do you think we lost him?" he heard Ryo say as he carefully ascended the stairs. So they had thought that he was following them.

"Sure we did, Ryo," Mana answered. "If the guards can't keep up with me when I'm trying to get away from them, what makes you think some random 'Good Samaritan' can?"

"Unfortunately, Mana, you seem to have underestimated me." She turned, startled, to see him standing at the top of the stairs behind her. "Pity, really."

Ryo ducked for cover behind Mana, who glared at Atem. "What do you want with us anyway?" she growled.

"Nothing. I'm just worried about the two of you, that's all." Mana blinked, apparently stunned by his answer.

"So, you aren't after anything at all? Food, a place to stay, sexual pleasure?"

"I'm offended that you would even suspect that I wanted that last one. No, Mana, I'm just trying to make sure you two don't die in the next few hours."

Ryo peeked out from behind Mana. "And how are you going to do that?" he asked.

Atem sighed, "Good question."

"Well, the only way that we are going to die in the next few hours is if the guards find my hideout, which I'm seriously considering changing." Mana crossed her arms as she finished.

"I'm not going to tell anyone where you're staying. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to change your hideout, as you call it."

Mana raised her eyebrow as he continued, "Come live with me. I have plenty of room, and you wouldn't have to worry about getting arrested anymore."

"Who are you?" Mana's voice was laced with suspicion.

"I already told you. So, what do you say?"

Mana opened her mouth to say something, but Ryo beat her to the punch. "Where do you live?" he asked.

Atem smiled warmly at the boy, trying to indicate that the offer was not a trap. "Some place much better than this, Ryo."

Ryo thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll come with you."

Mana looked appalled. "Ryo, this has to be some sort of a trap! Don't trust him."

"It doesn't seem like a trap. Besides, he seems nice."

Mana groaned, then said, "Fine, I'll come. But I swear, if you try anything at all, I'm taking the kid and we're both bolting, and you'll never see either of us again. Got it?"

Atem nodded. "Just don't overreact if you see any guards. Give me a chance to deal with them first." Mana looked at him suspiciously again at this statement. Atem realized that he was going to have one heck of a time keeping her from running when they headed back to the palace.

* * *

><p>Mana didn't trust this man as far as she could throw him. There was no reason why she should either: He had threatened to turn them in for theft before following her and Ryo back to her home and offering to let them live with him. And what did he mean about seeing guards? Was he nobility, just pretending that he wanted to help them? She wouldn't have accepted his "offer" if it hadn't been for Ryo; the boy was way too trusting, deeming Atem trustworthy just because it didn't "seem like a trap." Well, Mana was sure that it was, and she wasn't going to let Ryo get into trouble because he was so naïve.<p>

Atem led them back through town, and Mana was worried when she realized that she didn't recognize the area. Finally, they emerged at a familiar place—she had never been inside, but she saw it every day.

"The palace?" she exclaimed. "I knew it! This is a trap!"

"No, it's not. Just relax." As Atem said this, he took hold of her hand. No doubt he wanted her to think that this was meant to calm her when in reality it was probably to keep her from running away.

"Who goes there?" one of the guards said. Mana winced when she realized that she recognized the other one, whose eyes were widening as he looked at her.

"It's the street-rat!" he yelled, pointing his spear at her. Mana tried to pull away from Atem, but he tightened his grip.

"She's with me." He sounded so calm, Mana was certain he was about to turn her in. "They both are."

The guards both pointed their spears at him. "And you are...?"

Atem threw off the hood on his cloak and the guards gasped. "P-prince! What are you doing out here?"

Mana gaped. He had been serious when he said that he might be the prince? Mana groaned inwardly, realizing that there was no way this would end well.

"That's none of your concern. Now, let us pass."

"B-but, my prince, that girl is a criminal!"

Mana was waiting for him to hand her over to the guards. She was taken by surprise when he simply said, "Tell me something I don't know. Now, let us pass."

His tone left no room for argument. The guards let them enter. Mana, however, didn't lower her guard at all.

"Prince? You were serious about that?" she hissed at him as he dragged her deeper into what she considered enemy territory.

"I told you I might be the prince of Egypt. It's not my fault you thought that was impossible." Ryo chuckled as Mana groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but think of the odds of me meeting the real prince of Egypt! You actually expected me to believe that it was possible?"

Atem looked at her, sarcasm written all over his face. "I'm sorry, are you angry with me?"

Growling, Mana told him that he already knew the answer to that question. Atem just chuckled at her anger, which made her angrier.

As he dragged her through the palace, with Ryo tagging along, she saw somebody too familiar. She may only have seen him once, but she would recognize that priest anywhere. To her horror, Atem called out to that priest, who turned to see what the prince wanted. His eyes widened when they fell upon Mana, confirming her fears: He recognized her, too.

"M-my prince, who are these two?" the priest said.

Atem smirked at his confusion. "Well, Mahad, these two are my new friends. I just met them in the market."

The priest, Mahad, groaned. "Please tell me why you were out in the market to begin with, my prince."

"I, actually, would like to know that myself, 'my prince,'" Mana said. Atem ignored her and Mahad.

"I just thought that you should meet my new friends because they will be staying with us for some time. If your reaction is any indication, you've already met Mana," he said, nodding at the girl in question. Mana wanted to hit him for telling that priest her name. "And this is Ryo, her new friend. You two, this is Priest Mahad, head of the palace guard and master magician."

Mahad stared at Atem for a moment. "Uh, does your father know that you're inviting criminals into the palace?" Mana almost laughed at the dumbfounded look on his face.

"Not yet, but he won't object. Trust me."

Mahad sighed, obviously annoyed with the prince. Briefly, Mana wondered if he was allowed to show the prince that he was annoyed with him. "Well, then, you'd best hurry up and tell him that you've brought a thief and her new partner into the palace. I won't keep you any longer." With that, he left, not even bothering to show any respect to his prince. To Mana's surprise, Atem let it slide.

"What, you aren't going to get on him for being so disrespectful?" she asked, trying her best to sound annoyed but sounding more confused than anything.

Atem shook his head, saying, "Mahad is an old friend of mine. Do you have any idea how strange it is to have your friends bow down before you? Honestly, I like it when he forgets to respect me." This didn't make a lot of sense to Mana, but she couldn't ask anymore questions because Atem dragged her onward. "Now, let's go introduce you to my father. Then I'll show the two of you around the palace."


	2. Chapter 2

**And here's chapter 2! I might not be able to update this for awhile due to homework and all of that nice stuff, but I'll update as soon as I can. Anyway, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh, how many times to I have to tell you people?**

Mana really didn't want to meet the pharaoh, especially considering that she had a reputation as a thief. What if he decided that she should be punished since she had finally been caught? _I'm such an idiot! Ryo would have been fine. The kid hasn't done anything wrong that anybody knows of, but I'm a known criminal! Why was I dumb enough to come to the palace with the prince?_

She kept trying to pull away from Atem, but he tightened his grip in response. "Relax," he said, "You'll be fine. Trust me."

He was asking an awful lot in Mana's opinion. Why should she trust a man she had just met, especially one who just happened to be one of the people who could put her behind bars or sentence her to hard labor or whatever he wanted to do to her?

Atem guided—or rather, dragged—her to a room deep in the palace. There were guards standing on either side of the door. Taking a random guess, Mana assumed that this was the pharaoh's chambers, which was one of the last places she wanted to be (the other was within arms reach of Mahad or his guards). Atem ignored the guards and walked right into the room.

Just as Mana had guessed, somebody slept here. A man who could only be the pharaoh lay in the bed in the middle of the spacious room. Mana's mind was blown by the sheer size of the room. Who needed this much space to sleep?

"Father," Atem addressed the current pharaoh. The man opened his eyes and looked at Atem—and his guests, captive as they might have been.

"My son," he said, his voice weak, "do we have visitors? I didn't know we were expecting anyone."

"Well, to tell you the truth, we weren't. This is Mana, the thief who has been evading the guards for some time now." Mana shot a glare at Atem at this statement. Now he was just trying to get her in trouble. She had known all along that this was a trap! "And the young one is her new friend, Ryo, who was about to join her life of crime." Ryo smiled nervously, unsure how to react to this comment.

The pharaoh looked puzzled. "Shouldn't they be in the custody of the guards now that they have been captured? And how did you capture them in the first place, my son?"

Atem looked slightly uncomfortable, which Mana enjoyed immensely. "Uh, I don't have time to explain it right now. The point is, these two aren't really what I would consider criminals, so I was thinking that they could stay here in the palace."

The pharaoh wanted an explanation; it was written all over his face. Atem promised to give him one later, but assured him that Mana and Ryo would cause no trouble. Mana still thought this was some sort of a trap—maybe she and Ryo would become slaves of the pharaoh and prince. There was no way the prince really wanted to just let them live in the palace. There had to be some ulterior motive.

Deeming the conversation over, Atem declared that his father needed to rest before rushing out of the room with Mana and Ryo. He ignored his father's protests.

"You know you'll have to tell him that you sneaked out of the palace and brought back a thief and her accomplice eventually, right?" Mana asked him with a smirk. She was enjoying his discomfort.

"And I will, after I show you two around and get you settled in. That takes priority over explaining myself to my father."

Mana's grin broadened. "Aw, you're just afraid. You're using us as an excuse to avoid that conversation for now." Atem glared at her, which was rather threatening. She wondered if looks could actually kill a person; surely his could.

"Let's just get on with the tour," he grumbled, dragging her off again.

* * *

><p>Atem wished that this stupid girl would just cooperate already. Couldn't she tell that he was being sincere? He could have handed her over to the guards when they first arrived if he had wanted to; couldn't she tell that he didn't mean her any harm? As it was, she was driving him crazy, constantly trying to make a break for it as if at any minute he would turn around and stab her or something. At the moment, with the way she was behaving, that actually seemed like a good idea...<p>

He showed her (and the much more cooperative Ryo, who he rather liked) the kitchens, the throne room (where Mana was convinced he was going to have the priests pass judgment on her), and was exceptionally relieved when he finally showed them each to their own individual rooms in the palace.

"And this is where you'll be staying while you're here, Mana. I recommend not trying to run away in the middle of the night for two reasons: One, the guards will think you are robbing the palace and two, you probably won't be able to find your way around just yet, especially considering that you spent the majority of the tour looking for conspiracies." He said the last part with vehemence. Then he exited the room, washing his hands of her for the night. Let her be somebody else's problem for now.

He didn't realize how literal that thought was. As he walked down the hall, he passed a guard who seemed intent on keeping an eye on their thieving guest. Atem considered telling him to leave, but then decided that it would be best if somebody kept her in her room; it would keep her from getting lost, at least.

As he lay down to sleep that night, Atem wondered what had possessed him to bring that girl back with him. He hadn't considered that she could be such a stubborn nuisance at the time. He had only thought of her as a person in need. Now he was stuck with her, unless she managed to get out of the palace or get in real trouble with the guards.

Whatever. He would worry about that in the morning.

* * *

><p>Mana groaned when she peaked out of her room and saw the guard standing there. "I'm already a prisoner, just like I thought," she muttered to herself as she moved away from the door.<p>

She didn't get a lot of sleep that night; she was too busy plotting the death of the stupid prince. Not that she was actually going to kill him—she didn't have it in her to kill anybody. It just made her feel better to imagine running him through with a sword or poisoning his meal. Ryo might not feel trapped, but she certainly did. She knew better than the little boy, after all. He was only about eight or nine, and he didn't have any experience dealing with the upper-class creeps who thought they were better than everybody else because they had money.

_That kid,_ she thought bitterly as she lay on the bed, _is his own worst enemy as well as mine._

* * *

><p>Morning came all too soon for Atem. He didn't want to deal with that girl Mana, and he especially didn't want to tell his father that he had sneaked out of the palace. However, he had promised to explain himself later, and it was about time that he did.<p>

His father was less than pleased to know that his only son and his heir was sneaking around the city, but he was glad that his son had done something good while he was out. Aiding the people was part of his duty as pharaoh, and those two seemed to be in need. Maybe it had been the gods will that Atem sneak out and meet the two of them, his father mused.

Atem was rather surprised by his father's reaction to the reason for the thief in the palace, but he was glad that his father wasn't too upset with him for sneaking around the city in disguise. However, with that out of the way, the next unpleasant part of his day would begin.

When he arrived at Mana's room, he found that the guard was still standing there. "You're dismissed." The guard bowed and walked away.

"Mana," Atem called, "it's—"

He didn't finish that—at that moment the girl came crashing out of the room and grabbed his arm. "You. Are. Going. To. Take. Me. Out. Of. Here. Now. Got it?" She made each word a sentence as she spoke. Atem just chuckled.

"No, actually, I don't. Why are you so determined to refuse my hospitality?"

"Because your kind doesn't know how to be hospitable to my kind, that's why! I know you're up to something. I don't know what exactly, but I'm not going to be a part of it!" She looked ready to throttle him. "Now, get me out of here!"

Atem looked her straight in the eye and answered, "No."

Dumbfounded, Mana stuttered, "W-what did you just say?"

"No. I'm not letting you leave without eating first, at least. Now, shall we head to breakfast?" And, pulling away from her now slack grip and taking her hand, he guided her down to breakfast.

* * *

><p>There were no words in the Egyptian language—or any language, for that matter—to describe how angry Mana was at that very moment. She wanted to leave, and Atem, in traditional "I'm filthy rich so I can do whatever I want" fashion, was determined not to let her do that. There was no way she was going to trust this good-for-nothing royal pain in the ass to keep his word and not hurt her or Ryo. If there was one thing Mana wholeheartedly believed, it was that the rich and powerful always trod on those less fortunate than themselves. She wasn't about to let Atem do that to her.<p>

"You know, holding someone against their will is rather rude, don't you think?" she said sarcastically. "And not something that a worthy prince should be doing."

Atem rolled his eyes and said, "Well, if you would stop acting like such a child, then it wouldn't be against your will. Technically, it isn't anyway because you agreed to come here." He stopped walking suddenly, looking at something ahead of them, then added, "My apologies. You aren't acting like a child. Ryo has been showing much more gratitude and much less attitude."

Peering around Atem, Mana saw Ryo heading toward them. "Good morning, Prince Atem. Hi, Mana." Ryo looked at Atem and asked, "Is she still being as stubborn as a mule?"

Atem smirked. "Yes, you could say that." He glanced at Mana, who looked away, blushing. Atem turned back to Ryo and said, "If you're hungry, there's plenty of food waiting for us. Just follow me. And, of course, the girl who is being 'held here against her will.'" Mana was too annoyed with him to think of a proper retort.

Her attitude changed drastically, however, when she actually saw the breakfast that he had promised. She sat down and ate without any argument whatsoever; why turn down free food? If you don't have to pay for it, and it isn't poisoned, then there's no reason to say no. Since everyone else was eating the food, she knew it wasn't poisoned, so she helped herself.

* * *

><p>Atem smiled as he watched the thorn in his side eat. At least he didn't have to fight with her to get her to do that. For a short while, she wasn't driving him crazy or wondering what his evil plan was for her and Ryo. Or, at least, she wasn't being obvious about her suspicions.<p>

_I'm going to have to see if I can squeeze a few more meals into the day_, he thought. _She's actually a lot more agreeable when she's stuffing her face._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Yay! Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh. Never have, never will.**

It was a really good thing that Atem was only the prince of Egypt; it meant that he had more time to waste dealing with Mana and her stubbornness.

"Are you ever going to stop acting like this?" he said, growing more annoyed with her by the minute. She seemed determined to act like he wanted her dead.

She smiled sweetly and answered, "Sure, when you let me go."

"You are not a prisoner. Why don't you get that?"

"Because if I wasn't a prisoner, the guards wouldn't be glaring at me every time they see me and I wouldn't need a babysitter!" she spat at him.

"Well, I can do nothing about the guards because they just don't trust you. However, I can do something about your issue with having a 'babysitter,' as you call it." He started to walk away, leaving her standing there.

"W-wait! Where are you going?" she called. Atem stopped but didn't turn around.

"You said you don't need a babysitter, so I'll stop treating you like a child."

"Uh, well, you don't _have_ to, you know..."

Atem smirked. Just as he thought—she was all talk. She claimed that she wanted to be left alone, but she wasn't comfortable with the idea of being alone in the palace just yet. No doubt this was partly because of the guards, but he was certain another part of it was that she knew she would get lost. Since most of the people in the palace hadn't warmed to her yet, they were probably just as likely to direct her to her doom as to anywhere she knew.

Wiping the smile off his face, he turned back to her. She was trying to hide it, no doubt, but Atem could tell that she was afraid of being alone here just yet. "Are you telling me that you've changed your mind?"

Mana looked uncomfortable. "Well, I mean, if you're willing to leave me alone, that proves that you don't think I need to be watched, so, maybe, it would be a good idea for me to stick with you. You know, so I don't get lost or anything."

Atem had to force himself not to laugh. She acted so tough, but she was just trying to cover up her fear. "Alright, then, feel free to tag along."

* * *

><p>Following the prince around the palace suddenly wasn't something forced on her—it was survival. He was willing to leave her alone, which would leave her at the mercy of so many people she didn't need to ask how they felt about her. For example, two of the priests she had seen yesterday who had glared at her when Atem introduced her. One of them had almost looked ready to slaughter her right there, and she was certain that neither would mind if she dropped dead while she was there. Also, she was beginning to think that Ryo might have been right about the prince's offer. Maybe this wasn't some sort of a trap. The more time she spent with him, the more she felt that he was sincere.<p>

Atem suddenly stopped walking. Mana almost ran into him. Peeking around him, she saw one of the two priests she suspected wouldn't mind her death. He was the priest of the Millennium Rod. Mana didn't remember all their names (or care), but she was pretty sure that this one was named for Set, the god of chaos and war. Looking at him, Mana thought that it would be fitting if he was named for this god.

"Seto," Atem addressed the priest. Yep, he was named for Set, which was indeed fitting—he seemed like a man who appreciated a good war and the chaos that can come with it.

"My prince," Seto greeted. He glanced at Mana, his gaze saying it all: He thought she was the lowest kind of scum and had no right to be living in the palace. If he had his way, she would be drawn and quartered. She got all of that from a brief glance.

Backing up, she ran into somebody else. She turned to see who it was, starting to apologize, but stopped when she saw the priest of the Millennium Ring, Mahad. He was another one she was certain had no desire to see her in the palace unless she was being dragged in by the guards.

"Watch where you are going, Mana," he scolded.

Seto scoffed. "A thief doesn't care who she runs into, as long as she doesn't get caught."

Atem's eyes narrowed. "You do realize that I'm standing right in front of you, Seto. Watch what you say about my guests."

Seto bowed. "My apologies, my prince."

Atem took Mana's hand and led her past the priest. Mahad followed them.

"Well, that was pleasant," Atem grumbled.

Mahad shrugged. "It could have been worse. He could have offered to have her drawn and quartered for your amusement, just as he does with every criminal." Mana cringed at the idea. She had thought that the priest with the Rod was a madman, but she never would have guessed that he wanted to kill every criminal. How had he become a priest in the first place? Weren't the priests supposed to show mercy?

"Wait a minute! I didn't do anything that bad! I just stole food, why does that warrant execution in his mind?"

Mahad glanced at her and answered, "He justifies it by claiming that a simple thief could easily turn into a grave robber, and the tombs of the pharaohs are sacred ground, so he feels that those who defile the tombs deserve to die. Don't worry, it's nothing personal."

"Nothing personal. Is that supposed to be a joke?" She felt faint; one of the priests wouldn't just not mind her death—he was advocating for it.

Atem laughed. "Mahad doesn't know how to joke," he said. Mahad glared at him, and Atem returned this look with a playful smirk. Mahad just sighed, shaking his head with a smile.

"So, Mahad, is there any particular reason that you are following us?" Atem asked, sounding somewhat wary. Mana wasn't sure why, but she was slightly worried by it nonetheless.

"As a matter of fact, there is. You are late for your lessons today, and Siamun is throwing quite a fit about it."

Atem groaned. "Seriously? Mahad, in case you haven't noticed, I have a guest who isn't exactly popular around here. Unlike Ryo, that is. Where is he, anyway?"

"The last time I saw him, he was with Isis, who was teaching him to write."

Atem laughed. "Well, isn't she getting a bit ahead of herself?"

Mahad smirked, saying, "I think she has unofficially adopted the boy. She has grown quite fond of him. But don't change the subject: You have work to do, prince."

"And who will prevent Seto from carrying out his plans for her—" he nodded toward Mana, "—while I am otherwise occupied?"

Mahad glanced at Mana, who suddenly had a horrible feeling that she knew what he was going to say. "I will keep an eye on her, my prince." Mana wanted to protest, but Atem nodded. She gaped at him, and he frowned at her.

"It's all right. Mahad is one of my most trusted friends, and I'm sure that he will take good care of you. Not that you need a babysitter or anything." He said the last part with a smirk, trying to make her relax. It didn't work.

Atem headed off to his lessons, and Mana was left in the care of this priest, who was head of the palace guard and had every reason to want her arrested.

* * *

><p>Atem didn't really feel as comfortable leaving Mana with Mahad as he had claimed, but he couldn't let her know that. She was already worried that he would arrest her or something, that much was obvious. While Atem knew that Mahad wouldn't go against his orders like that, he didn't know for sure that Mahad would take care of her. None of the priests actually wanted her around, but Mahad was the only one that he would trust Mana with, except for Isis.<p>

_Hopefully my trust hasn't been misplaced_, he thought, settling in for another lecture from Siamun.

* * *

><p>Mana looked up at the priest who had just agreed to look after her. In all honesty, she trusted him to look after her...as she fell into a chasm or something. Not that it mattered; she had little choice but to stay with him. She would just have to remain on guard, and run for it if he showed any signs that he would do anything less than what he had promised.<p>

"All right, follow me," he said.

"Where are we going?" Mana asked, more for her own safety than out of curiosity.

Mahad looked right at her and said, "Just because I have agreed to watch out for you for the time being does not mean that my plans for the day are canceled. It just means that you are either tagging along or running off on your own. Considering how many people within the palace walls may or may not try to kill you, it would be better if you did the former rather than the latter." On that note, he continued walking. Mana, realizing that he was right, tagged along.

It turned out that his plans actually involved a priestess. More specifically, the high priestess Isis, who was indeed with Ryo. Mana had no clue exactly where in the palace they were, but she noticed that there was nobody here but the four of them. When she and Mahad entered, Ryo looked past Isis and smiled. "Mana!" he exclaimed, running over to her.

The priestess turned, apparently surprised to see Mahad with a guest. "Mahad, I didn't realize that you were bringing our other guest." Mana noticed a severe lack of venom or sarcasm in her statement and decided right then and there that she liked this woman.

"Well, the prince was missing his lessons, so I offered to keep an eye on her to make sure that Seto doesn't try to execute her," Mahad answered casually. Ryo's eyes widened in horror.

"Somebody wants to execute Mana?" he asked, his voice small.

Isis and Mahad looked at the boy, their expressions kind. Mana envied the kid; nobody was so nice to her around here. "Do not fear, Ryo," Isis said soothingly. "Nobody is going to harm Mana in any way."

Relieved, Ryo turned back to Mana and said, "Let's go out into the garden!"

Mahad rejected that plan. "I can't keep an eye on her if she isn't in my sight. Stay close by, Ryo."

Suddenly Mana felt really weird. In one day, she had gone from being watched to prevent her escape to being guarded to prevent her death. "You know, I liked it better when I thought you guys were trying to keep me in line, not keep me alive," she stated.

Mahad laughed. "Well, nobody told you to realize the truth. Go ahead and think that we want to keep you in line. Actually, that is part of my goal. I'm afraid I have much less faith in you than the prince."

He and Isis became involved in conversation, and Mana decided to get out of here while the getting was good.

"Ryo," she said to the boy, "you know the way to the garden, right? Think we can go there?" He looked ready to protest, so she sweetly added, "I'm sure you can keep that nasty Priest Seto from hurting me, Ryo."

The sad thing was, the kid actually believed her. "Okay. Don't worry, Mana. I won't let anyone hurt you." Mana smirked as she followed him out of the room. She glanced back at Mahad on her way out to make sure that he hadn't noticed, but he was absorbed in his conversation with Isis. He probably wouldn't notice her absence for quite awhile. Grinning broadly, she left.

* * *

><p>"Prince Atem, will you pay attention?" Siamun's voice snapped Atem out of his thoughts, which had wandered to Mana and whether she was still alive.<p>

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" he asked.

Siamun sighed. "Never mind. We'll try this again when you aren't worrying about your new friend." Atem's eyes widened, which didn't go unnoticed by Siamun. "I know all about Seto's desire to execute her, and I know that you care for her, if only because she is one of your father's people. Now, you may go."

Atem thanked Siamun and ran off to find Mahad and Mana. Oddly, it didn't take long to find Mahad, who was with Isis. However, Mana was nowhere in sight, and Mahad seemed to be looking for her.

Atem rushed over and said, "Please tell me you two are playing a game with her or something."

"I'm afraid not. She took off with Ryo. I have no idea where they went," Mahad said, shaking his head.

Cursing, Atem ran off to find the girl. What an idiot she was! Somebody wants to to kill her, so she runs off with a little boy to better enable her would-be murderer to commit the deed. He had to find her before Seto, or it might be too late.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so before I actually start chapter 4, I have answers to questions! Aqua girl 007: 1) Yep, I'm adding vaseshipping 2) Not sure. Anyway, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

"Here's the garden, Mana!"

Mana looked around, disappointed. She had been hoping to find her way out of the palace from here, but she still couldn't be sure of where exactly she was. _Is this place just designed to confuse?_ she wondered in irritation. To make matters worse, she was now unsure how to get out of here and alone with Ryo in enemy territory. What else could possibly go wrong?

As usual, the answer was "everything." While Ryo was talking about a game that he wanted to play with her, Mana saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her blood run cold: Priest Seto, and he was heading their way.

"Well, hello again," he said with what Mana considered an evil grin. Ryo stopped talking mid-sentence and turned to look at the priest.

"You're..."

Seto glanced down at Ryo. "I'm here for Mana. The prince has been searching for her."

Ryo looked at him suspiciously, but Seto ignored him and reached out a hand to grab Mana. Mana backed out of his reach, glaring at him. "Don't touch me," she hissed.

"That's no way to act in polite society, thief. Not that I would expect you to know that." Ryo was glaring at Seto now.

The priest grabbed Mana's arm, quicker than she could dodge out of the way. "Now, you've been summoned by the prince, and I expect you to show a little more respect toward him."

Mana squirmed, trying to pull free of his grip. There was absolutely no way she was going anywhere with him! "How's this for respect? Go drown yourself. That would do the world a favor."

Seto narrowed his eyes at her before dragging her away from Ryo. The boy started to follow, but Mana shook her head. Instead, doing what Mana deemed the smart thing, Ryo ran off. Seto stopped, watching the boy run.

"Well, that takes care of that obstacle. We don't want any witnesses to your death, now do we?" he said with a smirk.

"You're crazy! Who do you think is going to get blamed if I get killed?"

"He just left."

Mana gaped at him. "Ryo? There is no way anyone will believe that story!"

"Sure they will," he said, pulling her closer. "Nobody knows him well enough to say that he wouldn't do it. Maybe he was having a flashback to some horrifying memory, or maybe he thought you were going to hurt him." Mana scoffed. "Don't be that way. Nobody will be able to prove that he didn't kill you. It will be my word against his, a priest against a young thief. I think you know who they'll believe."

Still holding onto Mana's arm, Seto drew the Millennium Rod. But there was something off, it was too short. It took Mana a moment to process the fact that it was also too sharp. There was a lethal weapon hidden in the Millennium Rod? And the pharaoh had just given it to Seto? Mana was seriously starting to question the pharaoh's sanity as she struggled to get away from this insane priest.

* * *

><p>Atem stopped, panting. He had to think about this. Where would Ryo and Mana go anyway? Well, Mana wanted to leave, and Ryo... He didn't know. It was frustrating for him—Mana could be dead by now, and he couldn't even think of where she might be!<p>

"Prince Atem!" a voice behind him called. Atem turned to see Ryo running toward him. The boy looked panicked.

"Ryo! Where's Mana?" he asked.

"That priest with the Rod has her! He said you were looking for her."

Atem cursed inwardly. Seto had Mana. He had to find them now. "Where did you last see them?"

"In the garden," Ryo said, pointing behind him. Atem ran in the direction the boy had indicated, hoping he wasn't too late.

* * *

><p>Mana wrenched her arm out of Seto's grasp just as he brought the tip of the Rod down to stab her. She managed to avoid his first shot, and now she just had to do what she did best: Run from whoever was chasing her.<p>

Unfortunately for her, Seto was expecting this. Mana fell to the ground as something hit the back of her leg, causing her to cry out in pain. Looking at her leg, she saw a knife embedded just above the knee.

"Seriously, you have that thing and a real knife?" She was really getting annoyed with the pharaoh. What was he thinking giving lethal weapons to lunatics?

Seto came toward her, holding up the Rod, ready to run her through. Mana rolled out of the way as he stabbed at her again. He turned and placed his foot on her back, keeping her from getting away from him again. Seto raised the Rod, ready to strike. "Die, thief."

"Seto!"

The priest stopped, turning to face the intruder. "M-my prince!" Mana was pleased to hear that he sounded worried.

"What are you doing?" Atem's voice was full of venom. Mana glanced at him and saw that he was giving Seto one of those killer looks of his, only more severe than the one that Mana had received earlier.

"I-I was... Well, um—"

"That's what I thought," Atem said, shoving Seto off of Mana. "Do yourself a favor and resign from the priesthood before I become pharaoh. Assuming my father doesn't have you stripped of it first. Now, get out of my sight."

Mana heard Seto run off. Looking up at Atem, Mana knew for sure that she had never been so happy to see anybody in her life.

* * *

><p>Atem took in Mana's condition. She was hurt, but at least Seto hadn't been able to finish the deed.<p>

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

Mana rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. That red stuff coming out of me is completely normal, and so is that knife in my leg."

"Well, you're being sarcastic, so it must not be too serious," Atem said with a slight grin as he helped her up. "Let's get you to the infirmary."

"Incidentally," Mana said, "you might want to start screening your priests. I think that one might be a little insane."

Atem scowled. "If I have any say in it, he won't be a priest much longer."

After taking Mana to the infirmary, Atem went to talk with his father about Seto's actions. Something had to be done; he couldn't be allowed to get away with this. Suggesting executing every criminal is one thing, but actually trying to carry out the suggested sentence was entirely out of line.

The pharaoh agreed with Atem completely, but reminded him that the priests hadn't been informed of the reason for the leniency with these criminals. He suggested that Atem tell the priests why Mana and Ryo were being forgiven for their crimes—maybe it would deter Seto from any future attempts on the girl's life.

While Atem still wanted Seto stripped of the priesthood, he agreed. The priests should know why these criminals had been moved into the palace. He called them all into the dining room, glaring at Seto when he arrived, and told them about the homeless orphans who had been stealing for survival. As he had suspected, their reactions varied from horror to pity to not caring. Seto, unfortunately, was the one who didn't care. Apparently, needing to survive didn't justify theft in his mind.

"In the future, anyone who tries to harm either of those two," he said, glaring at Seto, "will be stripped of the priesthood. Any who succeeds in harming them will be executed. Am I clear, Seto?"

Disgracing Seto in front of the other priests would help; he wouldn't be able to lie his way out of it if he ever did manage to kill Mana now that everyone knew that he had tried.

Mahad surprised Atem with his reaction. He glared at Seto and said, "With all due respect, my prince, you made yourself perfectly clear to most of us. However, some of us are so thickheaded that you might have difficulty getting the message across to them."

Seto glared back at Mahad. "I hope you are speaking of yourself, because I certainly understood what the prince just said, Mahad."

"Enough, both of you," Akhenaden intervened. "Seto, I cannot believe that you went against the pharaoh's orders in such a way. You should consider yourself lucky that he is giving you a second chance! Don't waste it by fighting with Mahad." He turned to Mahad. "And don't you try starting anything."

Leaving the priests to their squabbles, Atem went back to the infirmary to check on Mana. Ryo was already there, talking to her. When the boy saw Atem, he waved, drawing Mana's attention to the prince.

"How are you, Mana?" Atem asked.

"I'll be fine. Aside from dying of boredom while I have to stay off that leg that your stupid priest stabbed."

Atem smiled. "Well, it seems you aren't in much pain. Your attitude hasn't changed in the least."

Mana waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Aw, that's never going to change." She was grinning at him. Ryo, with a small smile on his face, muttered something they couldn't quite hear and left.

Atem sat down on the edge of the bed. "Seriously, how are you? Not how will you be, but how are you right now?"

"I'm fine. Trust me, Atem." She smiled at him reassuringly, then frowned. "What about the crazy priest? Is he still around?"

"Unfortunately, yes, but he won't be trying anything again. Everyone knows that he tried to take your execution into his own hands."

Mana stared into space, contemplating her chances of survival, as far as Atem knew. Then she looked at him and said, "Thank you."

Atem blinked. That seemed rather uncharacteristic of the girl he had come to know. "It's nothing. Seto has no authority to be executing anyone. He needed to be reminded of his place."

"I don't just mean for stopping Seto. Thank you for letting Ryo and me come live here. It was sweet, and I've been giving you so much grief. I'm sorry for that."

Atem just stared at her for a moment before answering. "It's still nothing. As prince of Egypt, part of my duty is to take care of my subjects, just as it will be when I am pharaoh."

"Still, inviting us to live in the palace seems a little extreme, don't you think?" she asked.

"Maybe, but I couldn't let the two of you stay in that place you called home. It wouldn't have been right."

Mana just looked at him, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Standing up, he decided to let the doctors keep an eye on her for now.

"Well, I'll leave you in the capable hands of the doctors now. Unless, of course, you plan to run off while I'm gone?"

Mana shook her head. "No way, I'm not doing that again."

Atem nodded. "Good. I'll come check on you later."

He left, feeling her eyes on his back as he did.

* * *

><p>Mana just watched Atem go. She couldn't believe that she had actually thought he had some ulterior motive for being nice to her. She had actually met an honest man, and she had completely misjudged him because he was the prince of Egypt.<p>

_Never thought I would be guilty of misjudging someone because of their status_, she thought. _It's pretty ironic, really._


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5. It's kind of short compared to some of my other chapters, but the next one will be longer. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

You would have to be blind to not see that Atem wouldn't be forgiving Seto any time soon. Scratch that—even blind men would be able to tell, Mahad was sure of that. And he couldn't blame the prince; Seto had acted in a disgraceful manner. He really was lucky that he was getting a second chance.

Due to his reaction upon learning that Seto had attacked Mana, Mahad had been questioned by the other priests; Shada and Karim in particular. The two had wondered when he had developed feelings for a young female thief. They had been certain that he liked Isis. Honestly, those two were just lucky that Isis hadn't been there when they started interrogating him—if she had heard that he liked her, Mahad would have been forced to hurt them, which was not something he particularly wanted to do.

However, it had taken some careful maneuvering on Mahad's part to convince them that he was just upset with Seto for attacking her in light of new evidence. In truth, that was part of it. Attempting to kill an orphan who is only trying to survive is disgusting. But Mahad did somewhat care for the girl. He hardly knew her, so it was far from being love, like Shada and Karim had suspected. There was, however, no doubt that Mana was growing on him. There was something about her that made it difficult not to like her.

Not that Mahad would ever admit any of that. He couldn't admit that he was growing fond of a thief, even if she did have good reason for her life of crime. Mahad could be stubborn like that sometimes.

"Stop, stop!" Mana said through a fit of laughter. "Seriously, I can't breathe!"

Atem stared at her. "It wasn't that funny," he muttered. He had just told her a story of when he and Mahad had been children. Fortunately, the only one who was embarrassed in that story was Mahad, not him.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, regaining control of herself. "I can't even imagine him doing that!"

Atem smirked. "That's because you don't know him well enough. Trust me, it happened. I'm not making it up, although Mahad denies that it ever happened."

Mana giggled. "I can see why. That's definitely embarrassing!"

"Really? What would be this embarrassing story that you are telling about me, prince?" Atem and Mana glanced at the new arrival in surprise.

"Mahad, what are you doing here?" Atem asked.

"Checking on Mana. After all, I was responsible for watching out for her, and I failed. I just wanted to see how she was doing." Atem wondered if there was more to this visit than Mahad was admitting, but he let it slide.

"Uh, I'm fine. Thanks for caring?" Mana said uncertainly.

"Mana, most of us care. It's just Seto who has an empty void where his heart should be," Mahad said. Atem smirked at his accurate description of Seto's lack of emotions. Mana grinned as well.

Mahad looked at Atem and said, "Now about that story you were telling her. You aren't filling this poor girl's head with lies, are you?"

Atem gestured at Mahad and said to Mana, "I told you he would deny it."

"I will deny any embarrassing story about me, even if it is true."

"So you admit that it happened?"

"I never said that. I said I will deny any embarrassing story you can come up with, my prince."

Atem sighed. "So close, and yet so far." Mahad smirked.

"There you are, my prince!" Atem groaned as Siamun came toward him. "I've been looking all over for you. You have work to do, you know."

"I know, I know. I was just keeping Mana company."

Siamun glanced at Mahad, a twinkle in his eye. "Well, maybe Mahad could take over for you for a little while. I'm sure he would be delighted to." Mahad looked slightly startled; Atem tried to make sense of what Siamun was saying—he couldn't. If there was one person who could actually confuse and fool the prince, it was the royal vizier. There were a lot of things he did that were as clear as mud.

Atem had no choice but to go with Siamun. He said goodbye to Mana, promising to come back later, and followed the old man out of the infirmary, leaving Mana alone with Mahad for the second time.

Mana watched Atem go, developing a very strong hatred of the old man, whoever he was. She had been hoping that Atem would stay at least a little longer. Now she was stuck with the company of Priest Mahad.

"Mana, what in the world possessed you to take off on your own like that when you knew that somebody was out to kill you?" Mahad asked.

Mana groaned. She had seen that one coming. Surely, that was the real reason he had come to see her, to ask her that exact question. "Technically I wasn't on my own because Ryo was there. If I had been on my own, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation because Priest Seto would have killed me." Mahad crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. He looked oddly like a parent interrogating his child. "I was hoping to find a way out of the palace, which would have effectively put an end to any attempts on my life by Priest Seto."

"That was idiotic and irresponsible! You could have actually been killed! It's lucky for you that Atem and Ryo just happened to run into each other or you would have been."

Mana blinked. She wasn't sure, but she thought she was being scolded by one of the high priests. Worse, he sounded suspiciously like a parent talking to a child who had disobeyed. "Um, excuse me, but who made you my father?" she asked.

Mahad blinked, stunned by her question. "You don't have a father, so any man in the world could pretend to be your father, Mana."

"Gee, thanks for the extremely unclear and potentially hurtful answer," Mana said with a lame look on her face.

Mahad sighed. "I apologize, Mana. I don't know why I said that."

Mana blinked at him, wondering if she would ever have a priest apologize to her ever again. "Uh, I think you missed the memo. I'm a peasant, you can—"

"Don't finish that, Mana. Just because one has status or power does not mean that one has the right to harm others in any way." At Mana's stunned look, he added, "Not all of us think like Seto."

"O-okay then."

Mahad looked at her, just staring at her for several moments. It was a bit unnerving for Mana, who wasn't sure why he was staring at her. Then, he placed his hand on top of her head and said, "Try not to get yourself killed again in the future, all right?" Then he left.

Mana watched him go, confused. Mahad was acting a bit odd in her opinion. _What the heck is wrong with him? Are all of the priests crazy?_ she wondered.

Yes, Mahad was definitely starting to care for that girl, but there was absolutely no way that he was going to admit it any time soon. Maybe after the prince admitted it, Mahad would. But no sooner than that. Hey, Mahad can be stubborn like that sometimes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

Atem walked into the infirmary only to be pounced by the very person he was there to see.

"Mana! Shouldn't you be in bed?" he said through the awkward hug she was forcing on him.

Mana let go of him, which was a huge relief for him, and shook her head. "Nope. The doctors say it's okay for me to leave now."

Atem raised his eyebrow skeptically. He knew that she was tired of lying in bed, so he wasn't sure if he should believe her on this one.

"It's true, my prince." Atem looked to see Mahad coming toward him. "I just checked with the doctor, who confirmed her story."

Atem was about to ask Mahad what he was doing here in the first place, but Mana stopped him. "Come on, Atem! I really want to get out of this place. It's no fun being stuck in the infirmary all day!" So Atem's question for Mahad was never asked; he followed Mana out of the infirmary.

The Mana that Atem had seen every day since he had saved her from Seto was very different from the one he had brought to the palace—she wasn't so suspicious and sarcastic, and she spent more time laughing than complaining. Personally, Atem liked Mana better this way. She was happy instead of annoyed and distrusting. She also didn't annoy him half as much as she used to.

"So, if I'm going to stay here, I should probably learn my way around, right?" she asked, looking at Atem.

"That would probably be a good idea," Atem answered. "Unless you want to get lost on a daily basis."

"Well, not particularly. Then again, I already feel like I'm doing that, so what's the difference?"

Atem laughed. "The difference is you're with somebody who knows the palace well, so you only feel lost. You aren't lost unless you are alone and don't have the slightest idea where you are."

Mana playfully bopped him on the head. "That was a rhetorical question, silly! You weren't supposed to answer me."

Again, Atem laughed. "I know, but I'm the prince of Egypt. I can do whatever I want, remember?"

Mana got a blank look on her face and said, "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot."

"You would do well to remember to whom you are speaking in the future, thief," said a familiar voice from behind them. Turning, they saw Seto coming. Atem narrowed his eyes and moved in front of Mana.

"Hello, Seto," Atem said bitterly.

Seto looked like he was stealing himself for something. Then, with a grimace, he knelt down and said, "I—I apologize for attacking the girl. It isn't my place to decide her fate."

Atem scrutinized the priest for a moment. Seto usually didn't apologize; it must have taken everything he had to offer this apology, however insincere it was. "Apology accepted, Seto," Atem said with a nod. The priest rose and glared at Mana. Atem narrowed his eyes, daring Seto to say something, anything, negative toward Mana.

"Make no mistake, girl," Seto said to her. "My apology does not mean that I like you. It just means that I realized your death is not my call. I'll leave your execution up to the gods."

There were so many things Atem wanted to say to that lousy priest at that moment, but he didn't dare say half of them in present company. Mana didn't need to hear those obscenities. Instead, he held his tongue and watched Seto walk away.

"What in the name of all that his holy did I ever do to him?" Mana asked, staring after Seto.

Atem glared at the back of the retreating priest. "Nothing. He just hates anyone whom he deems to be less than he."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to know he has a good reason for hating me." Mana looked at Atem. "So, think we can explore the palace now?"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of those in the palace, there was an intruder. The white-haired man stayed to the shadows as he sneaked around the palace. This was an abomination, and he wasn't about to let it slide.<p>

This man was searching for someone, someone he knew for a fact was here in the palace. He also knew for sure that this person did not belong in the palace. This person belonged with him. This person was most certainly not someone who should be in the palace, especially considering how worried the man had been these past few days as he searched for this person.

_I swear, if that idiot wasn't family..._

Finding anyone in the palace was a challenge, especially when you wanted to remain unseen and it was the middle of the day. The man decided that he should find some place to hide until nightfall; he would find the person he was looking for then.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so if you go that way from the throne room, you end up here, in the kitchens. And that way leads outside, right?" Mana looked to Atem for confirmation. At his nod, she smiled. She was learning her way around the gargantuan palace!<p>

"Hey, Mana!" Mana knew that voice: Ryo.

She turned to see the little boy standing in the doorway, looking slightly nervous. "Hi, Ryo. What's the matter?"

Ryo shifted his weight back and forth. "Well, I was just wondering...do you feel like...like..." He stopped talking, staring at the floor.

Mana cocked her head, confused. "Like what, Ryo?"

Ryo shook his head. "No, never mind. It's nothing." Before Mana could object, he ran off.

Mana looked at Atem, who seemed just as confused as her. "Is that normal behavior for him?" Atem asked.

Shrugging, Mana said, "How should I know? I hardly know the kid, remember?"

"Right, I forgot," Atem muttered. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Still, Mana worried about it for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>The sun set, telling the intruder that it was time for him to move. If he was going to find the person he was after, the best time was right now. Hardly anyone would be awake besides the guards, it would be harder for him to be seen in the darkness, and the person he was looking for would be staying in one place for the night. It's much easier to find someone who isn't moving.<p>

_Now I just need to find out where he's staying._

As the intruder crept around the palace, he kept an eye out for other people. He was on high alert; he couldn't be seen until he found who he was looking for. After that, whatever. The exit was always much easier. He should know—he was a thief.

He found his way to the sleeping chambers easily enough. Now came the hard part—finding the right room without waking anybody.

The first few rooms he checked were empty, causing him to wonder if anyone lived in this part of the palace. It was a rather large complex; these people could be anywhere. However, the next room he checked had somebody inside. It wasn't the person he was looking for, but it was somebody.

He was about to leave when he noticed that this person was female. And she was attractive. _The brat can wait_, he thought as he moved closer to the woman's sleeping form. Looking at her, he wondered what she was doing here. Surely she wasn't a priestess; he spent enough time spying on the palace to know all of the priests and priestesses from the moment they entered the place. Maybe she was a member of the pharaoh's harem. No, she was young enough to be his daughter, she must have been a gift for his son.

Whatever she was, he wanted her. And he would have her if it was the last thing he ever did. But first, he had to find the one he was looking for, which was absolutely not a beautiful woman.

He peeked into another room some time later and smirked—there he was. The little boy lying in that bed was definitely him. After all, how many Egyptians had white hair? The man crept over to the bed and shook the boy, waking him. The boy looked at him groggily and nearly screamed. The man covered his mouth before this could happen.

"Quiet, Ryo! You know better than to give away your location in enemy territory."

The boy pulled the man's hand off his mouth. "Bakura!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, you ungrateful little brat," the man growled. "Honestly, you can't survive one day without me, can you?"

"In case you forgot, you're the one who told me to leave you alone, so why are you hunting me down?" Ryo asked, anger coloring his voice. Bakura seemed amused by the boy's tone.

"True, but then I remembered that you're my baby brother and that I'm supposed to look after you." Ryo scoffed, not buying it. "That, and I needed my all-too-innocent partner-in-crime back."

"I knew it. I knew you only cared about yourself."

Bakura looked hurt. "That's not true, Ryo! You know I care for you, even if I don't always show it." Then Bakura smirked as an idea came to him. "Let me prove it: Are you happy here, Ryo?"

Ryo looked taken aback. "Yes, but why—?"

"Then you can stay here if you want. I'll stop by from time to time to make sure you're all right, okay?" This way, he could spy on the pharaoh and priests without sticking his neck out. Ryo was such a useful little brother.

Suspicion colored Ryo's face, but Bakura ignored it. "I'll come by to check on you every couple of weeks, all right, Ryo?" Without waiting for an answer, he made his way out of the palace.

* * *

><p>Ryo stared after his brother for a moment. He was sure that Bakura wasn't letting him stay here for the reasons he had stated. Bakura always had some ulterior motive. He had only taken care of Ryo because of how useful it was to have a little boy around; people had practically given Bakura their house when they realized that he was taking care of his little brother.<p>

"He's up to something," Ryo muttered, "and it can't be anything good."


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been busy and kind of suffering from writer's block, but I'm back and I know where I'm going with this! So here's chapter 7. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

Mana walked through the palace, just wandering around. Now that she knew her way around, she wasn't so worried about running into somebody who might hurt her, and Atem wasn't worried about her walking around alone anymore. The palace wasn't so hard to navigate once you had been there for a little while; Mana was glad that she had been hopelessly lost in the place early on though. Otherwise she would never have stayed, and she liked it here.

As she wandered the palace, she had time to think about what was on her mind a lot lately—Ryo. The boy had been acting strange for the last couple of weeks, and no one could figure out why. He was jumpy and nervous these days, increasingly so in the last few days. It was as if he expected something terrible to happen any moment now.

Someone leaped out in front of her, startling her. She almost snapped at him for scaring her when she realized that something was off. The person in front of her was taller than her, a man, she guessed. She couldn't tell what his face looked like; he was wearing a hood that hid him from view.

"Who are you?" she demanded. The only kinds of people who ever crept around the palace in disguise were thieves and assassins. If this man was here to hurt Atem, then this encounter wouldn't end well—for him.

The man chuckled. "My name is of no importance. Not at this time, at least. The important thing is your name. Who are you, and what are you doing in the palace? That's what I want to know."

Mana took a step back. This man had sneaked into the palace to find out about her? What sense did that make? "Why would I tell you anything?"

"To keep anyone from getting hurt," the man said casually. "Such as yourself."

Mana turned to run, but the man grabbed her arm. She opened her mouth to scream, but stopped when she felt something cold against her skin. Turning, she saw the man holding a knife to her wrist. "Go ahead," he said. "Scream. I dare you."

She didn't. He smirked, his mouth being the only thing visible under that hood, at least from this angle. "Now, tell me what I want to know."

Mana sighed, not sure why he was interested in this information, but realizing that she would be better off just telling him. It wasn't like she was anyone important, after all. "Mana. And I'm here because the prince invited me to come live here."

The man tensed when she mentioned the prince. "So, you're a friend of the future pharaoh?" he asked.

The hair on the back of Mana's neck stood up with those words, probably because of the tone of his voice. He sounded menacing that time. "No," Mana lied, feeling that this would be safer. He seemed dangerous.

The man gripped her arm tighter and said, "I don't believe you, Mana. You mean something to the prince, though I'm not sure what. I could probably use that." He mumbled that last statement, so Mana wasn't sure she was hearing him right. She didn't have time to think about it, though, because the man pulled her closer and stabbed her in the side, causing her to cry out in pain. "Tell the prince that's from a friend of little Ryo." What he said didn't register at the time; she was in too much pain. Then, without warning, the man threw her aside and ran away.

Mana stumbled to her feet, clutching her side. She had to lean on the wall for support. She knew she wouldn't get very far like this and was relieved when she heard footsteps nearby.

"Help!" she cried out. "Help, I-I've been attacked!"

The footsteps came running toward her, and a moment later Atem appeared around the corner. "Mana!" He ran to her, held onto her arms, looking her over. His eyes widened when he saw the blood pouring from the wound in her side. He looked at her and said, "Hold on, Mana." Then he picked her up and carried her to the infirmary.

She passed out on the way.

* * *

><p>Atem paced anxiously. He refused to leave the infirmary until he knew that Mana was going to be okay. A servant had been sent to fetch Mahad and Ryo. The boy arrived first.<p>

"Atem! Where's Mana? Is she okay?"

He was frantic, and Atem couldn't blame him. The prince knelt down in front of the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Calm down, Ryo," he said, forcing his voice to remain even. "The best doctors in Egypt are taking care of her. I'm sure she will be fine."

Mahad arrived then. He looked worried, but he glanced down at Ryo and said, "Don't worry, Ryo, Mana will be just fine." Atem wondered if Mahad believed what he was telling the kid—he knew that he didn't.

Ryo, however, seemed to calm down a bit at this reassurance. He looked at Atem and asked, "What happened to her?"

"It seems she was attacked by someone. The attacker was gone when I arrived, so I don't know what he looked like or where he went."

Was it Atem's imagination, or did Ryo look slightly paler than usual? "Attacked?" the boy asked in a small voice. Atem nodded. Ryo ran into the infirmary, apparently looking for Mana.

"Ryo!" Atem called, going after him. The boy was standing next to Mana's bed; the doctors had apparently done all they could for her. Atem walked over to the bed and placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder. Ryo looked up at him, tears in his eyes. Atem wanted to say something to comfort him, but wasn't sure what that would be.

He was spared from having to find something to say by the very girl Ryo was crying over. "What are you crying for?" she mumbled, drawing the boys' attention to her. "I'm the one who got stabbed."

It was a really bad attempt at a joke, but it got both of them to crack a smile just because it showed that she was all right. "Mana, what happened?" Atem asked.

Mana looked worriedly at Ryo, as if not wanting to say in front of him. Mahad came over and tried to lead the boy away, but Ryo pulled away from him. "I want to know what happened, too, Mana. I can handle it."

Mana sighed and told them about the man who had attacked her. She told them that she couldn't see his face because of the hood he was wearing. Atem listened intently, anger swelling up inside him. Somebody had attacked Mana, and it seemed he was going to get away with it.

Mana was nearing the end of the story when she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening. Atem watched her worriedly. "Mana, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and continued, "After he stabbed me, he tossed me aside and left. That's when you found me, Atem."

Atem had a feeling that Mana had left something out of that tale. Whatever it was, he wouldn't push her for it—not at the moment, anyway. "We'll find the man who did this to you, Mana. I promise. You just get some rest." She nodded, and Atem turned to leave. Mahad followed, leaving Mana alone with Ryo.

* * *

><p>Mana watched Atem and Mahad go, then looked at Ryo. "Ryo, there's something I need to ask you." The boy looked nervous when she said that, but he nodded. "You wouldn't happen to have any friends who run around stabbing people, would you?"<p>

Ryo's eyes widened and he asked, "W-why would you ask that?"

"Something that man said to me. 'Tell the prince that's from a friend of little Ryo.' I can't figure out what that's about."

Ryo was as white as a ghost. "I—I don't have any friends who would do anything like this!"

Mana nodded, reassured by Ryo's horrified reaction. Even if this person knew Ryo, the boy had nothing to do with that man.

Ryo shifted his weight, staring at the floor. "Well," he finally said, "I guess I should leave so that you can get some rest." He smiled at Mana and added, "Get better soon, okay?" before he ran off.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Ryo stood in his room, horrified by what had happened. That must have been Bakura—who else would claim to be a friend of his? He didn't know anyone else outside of the palace. But why had Bakura gone after Mana? Ryo thought he hated the pharaoh.<p>

No sooner had he thought that did the answer hit him. Mana was a friend of the prince, who would be pharaoh sooner or later. Meaning Mana was a great way to get to the prince, the future ruler of Egypt.

_If I tell him that I'm a friend of the prince, will he leave Mana alone and use me for whatever he has planned instead?_ Ryo wondered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, here's the next chapter. Much quicker than last time. XD Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

Bakura smirked as he sneaked into the palace again. The pharaoh really needed to hire better guards—these ones were almost too easy to get past. He was sure that this mission would go all too smoothly. It would almost be boring with how easy it would be.

He didn't count on his little brother getting in his way.

"Ryo!" he hissed upon seeing the boy. "What are you doing here?"

Ryo was blocking the doorway to the infirmary, where Bakura had been heading. He had planned to kidnap that girl from earlier, but he couldn't do that if Ryo was going to get in the way.

"I'm keeping you from hurting Mana, or whatever you were going to do to her," the boy answered, his voice shaking slightly.

Bakura smirked. "That's not going to happen, Ryo. You know I always get my way."

Ryo stood his ground, though, and Bakura scowled, realizing that he would have to force his way past his baby brother.

"Move, Ryo," he said, shoving the boy aside. He was about to enter the infirmary when Ryo opened his mouth to scream. Bakura grabbed him and covered his mouth. "Not a peep out of you, you little brat!"

Ryo bit him. Realizing that this kid was bound and determined to stop him, Bakura raised his arm to strike him. "You have no idea how much this hurts me, Ryo," he said before striking his brother hard on the head, knocking him out. He dropped Ryo on the ground and proceeded with the plan.

The girl was much easier to subdue than Ryo had been. She was already weak from the wound he had inflicted earlier, so she was an easy target, just as he had planned.

* * *

><p>Atem couldn't sleep. He had this strange feeling that something was wrong. No matter how many times he told himself that everything was fine, he couldn't shake the feeling. Finally, he decided to go check on Mana and make sure she was all right.<p>

He reached the infirmary and realized that something was terribly wrong. Ryo was lying on the ground in front of the infirmary. Atem ran over to check on him.

"Ryo! Ryo!" He was shaking the boy, trying to wake him.

Ryo stirred, then started. "Atem! Th-there's an intruder in the palace! I think it's the one who hurt Mana, and he came back to do...something. You've got to check on her!"

Atem didn't need to be told twice; he ran into the infirmary as fast as his feet would carry him. He froze when he saw that Mana's bed was empty.

"No!" He ran out of the infirmary, hoping to catch whoever had taken her before they got too far.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Whoever had taken her was long gone. He never found the intruder, or Mana.

* * *

><p>Mana groaned. Her side was throbbing. She tried to move, but found that she was unable to do so. She opened her eyes to see where she was, but that didn't do her any good because she couldn't see anything.<p>

_What's going on here?_ She was growing worried. Even if it was still night, she should have been able to see something. She struggled to move her arms and realized that they were bound behind her back.

A cold voice came out of the darkness. "Well, seems you're awake." She recognized that voice—it was the man who had attacked her!

"You again! What do you want with me?" She tried to make her voice sound firm, but her voice quavered a bit as she spoke.

The man laughed. "I want to give your friend the prince hell," he said simply. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you anymore." Mana didn't believe him.

"What are you going to do with me, then?" she asked, wondering if she really wanted to know.

"Nothing much. I'm just going to hold you for ransom. You know what I want from him?" he paused, waiting for an answer. When Mana didn't give him one, he went on, "His father's kingdom."

Mana laughed. "He can't give that to you," she said confidently. "It's not his yet."

"Au contraire, my dear. If his father dies, then the kingdom becomes his. And he could hurry that process along if he really wanted to. I hear the old man's recovered from another illness, and I'm getting tired of waiting for him to die already."

Mana's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. "No way!" she cried. "There's no way that the prince would kill his own father!"

The man kicked her in the side, the same side that he had stabbed earlier, causing Mana to hiss in pain. "For your sake, he'd better do whatever I tell him." After that, Mana heard footsteps, which told her that her captor was leaving.

Mana hoped desperately that someone would find her—anyone would be better than this man.

* * *

><p>Atem tapped his fingers impatiently. The priests and his father were debating what to do about the kidnapping. To Atem, the answer was simple: Find whoever had done it and kill them, especially if it really was the man who had attacked Mana. The rest, however, apparently thought that it was a bit less clear-cut.<p>

Finally, unable to stand these people weighing the options based on the "value" of the girl in question, Atem left the throne room. His father tried to call him back, but he ignored him. He needed to get away from these people—if they weren't going to do anything to help Mana, then he would.

He was in the stables, getting ready to go out in search of Mana, when Ryo came running in. "A-Atem! I...I think I know where Mana is!"

Atem stared at the boy for a moment. "What makes you say that, Ryo?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's just that I think I might know who took her," he mumbled.

Atem narrowed his eyes, wondering how Ryo knew whoever it was. Whatever, he would worry about that later. He didn't have time right now. "All right, Ryo. Where is she?"

Ryo looked up at him and said, "I'm not telling unless you take me with you!"

"Ryo, we don't have time for this," Atem said, annoyed.

"Then you better agree." The boy crossed his arms.

Atem caved; he didn't have time to argue with him, so he would just have to let him tag along.

Once they were out of the palace, Ryo started directing Atem. He still hadn't told them where they were going, but Atem supposed it didn't matter as long as they got there. Maybe the place didn't even have a name—it could be a cave down by the Nile or something. Either way, Atem didn't care as long as he found Mana before it was too late.

* * *

><p>Bakura scowled as he watched the prince ride toward the village where he was hiding, Kul Elna. That little brat was going to ruin everything!<p>

"Ryo, you better hope I don't get my hands on you ever again," he growled. "You won't survive the encounter.

* * *

><p>Atem stared at the place Ryo had directed him. It was a ruined village—how did Ryo even know it was here?<p>

The boy jumped off the horse and ran further into the village. "This way, prince!" he called, reverting to formalities here in this abandoned and desolate place. "If she's here, she'll be over here!" He ran on ahead.

Atem followed him to what appeared to be the entrance to an underground tomb or something. Ryo was pointing down into the darkness.

"Down there."

Atem was growing suspicious. He wouldn't be able to see any potential assassins in the darkness, and Ryo seemed reluctant to go down there. Could this be a trap. "Lead the way, Ryo," he said casually.

The boy gulped, but started down the stairs into the darkness, Atem following behind.

At the bottom of the stairs, the place opened up into a huge room. The ceiling was supported by pillars, and there was a stone tablet in the middle of the room. It was a shrine. Atem glanced around, trying to find any sign that Mana had been here. It was so dark he looked over her a few times before he finally saw her lying on the ground toward the back of the room.

"Mana!" He ran to her, throwing caution to the wind. He knelt down beside her, untying her.

"Atem?" She sounded nervous; he couldn't blame her.

"It's okay, Mana. I'm here, and I'm going to get you out of here," he said soothingly.

"Atem, hurry up!" called Ryo.

Mana, untied now, sat up quickly, tearing off the blindfold. "You brought Ryo? What were you thinking?"

"He claimed he knew where you were, but he refused to tell me unless I agreed to bring him along."

"Really? How unlike him," said a voice from behind Atem—one that was definitely not Ryo. Atem turned and saw a man standing on the staircase, blocking the exit. Ryo backed away from him. "Turning on his family. I never would have guessed that he had it in him."

Atem was sure he heard the man wrong. There was no way Ryo was any relation to that creature standing there. He was about to point this out when Mana gasped.

"T-that's how you know him, Ryo? He's your—?"

"That's right," the man said, sounding delighted. "Ryo's my baby brother."

"You're no family of mine, Bakura!" Ryo shouted at the man. "Not with the way you treat me and my friends!"

"Oh, poor baby. Are you feeling betrayed by your big brother?" Bakura mocked the young boy. Ryo glared at him, his hands clenched in fists.

"Shut up and get out of the way, Bakura." Ryo's voice was even, but Atem could hear the effort it took him to keep it that way.

Bakura laughed. "What are you going to do if I don't, little Ryo? Cry?" He laughed again.

Ryo glared at his brother and said, "Summon your ka."

Bakura stopped laughing, looking at Ryo as if he were crazy. "Are you sure? You know you don't stand a chance against Diabound."

"We'll see about that."

Bakura shrugged, not worried at all. "If you insist." He summoned a horrible monster; its top half was humanoid, but below the waist it turned into a snake's head. "Oh, Mana, Prince, meet Diabound. Ryo, say 'hello' to your doom."

Ryo grinned and said, "Hello." Then, something none of them had been expecting happened—Ryo summoned a spirit ka!


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so here's the next chapter, which may be slightly inaccurate in regards to the attributes. Anyhoo, ****I'm just gonna go with it XD Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

_Damn!_ Bakura hadn't expected Ryo to summon a ka. The last time he checked, the kid didn't even have one! _What kind of ka could he possibly have anyway?_ Bakura wouldn't expect it to be very powerful, but then again, he didn't expect Ryo to have one in the first place.

Bakura braced himself for whatever was coming, ready to attack or retreat—whatever the situation called for.

* * *

><p>Mana blinked in confusion as she watched the events playing out before her. Since when did everybody but her have a ka? At least, it seemed like everybody but her.<p>

"Lyna, the Light Charmer!" he cried, and everyone stared at the creature that appeared.

It was a girl, a young girl. She had white hair and eyes, as if that made any sense. She wore a black and white outfit and a cloak. There was a shackle on her left wrist for some reason, and she carried a scepter in her right hand. As if this wasn't enough, she also had a partner—an orange ball with a heart on its forehead and pink wings.

Bakura burst into a fit of laughter. "Ryo, your ka is absolutely adorable! How pathetic!"

Ryo said, "If you're through laughing, we can get on with this, Bakura."

Bakura chuckled. "Sure, baby brother. I'll kill you quickly so it doesn't hurt as much."

Ryo smiled. "You won't kill me," he said calmly.

"What makes you say that? The fact that you're my brother? Because I, frankly, don't care about that anymore." Bakura sneered at Ryo and his pathetic ka. Mana was sure Ryo didn't stand a chance against Bakura with that thing.

Ryo didn't answer. He just waited for Bakura to attack. Looking annoyed, Bakura commanded, "Diabound, prove to my little brother that blood ties will not prevent me from killing him!"

Mana almost screamed—almost. But Diabound never attacked. At least, it never attacked Lyna. It turned on its own ba, turning to attack Bakura!

"What the hell did you do?" Bakura screamed at Ryo as he dodged an attack from his own monster.

Ryo looked extremely innocent when he answered: "Don't blame me, big brother. Lyna did it. When I summon her, she can take control of one light monster that's attacking me." Ryo sighed, shaking his head, adding, "Honestly, why do you think I call her the light _charmer_?"

Mana was stunned. Ryo's ka might have been weak and nonthreatening, but if there was another light monster around, all Ryo's enemies better watch out. She was also having a hard time believing that Diabound was light. Honestly, what was wrong with the world?

Bakura cursed, avoiding another blast from his own monster. "Alright, alright! I give up, Ryo!"

"Then run, Bakura! I'm not dumb enough to trust you again!" Ryo called as Lyna giggled and made Diabound attack Bakura again.

Bakura scowled and grumbled something about paying for this, then ran from the shrine. Ryo followed, apparently to make sure that Bakura actually left. He was back a moment later, without Lyna.

"He's gone," Ryo said quietly.

* * *

><p>Atem was still in shock at the ka that Ryo had summoned, but he registered that statement quickly. "Why did you let him leave?" he shouted at the boy. True, he probably shouldn't have been yelling at the person who had just saved him and Mana, but he was angry at him for letting Bakura get away.<p>

Ryo cringed. "I..."

"Ryo," Atem said, forcing his voice to stay even, "your brother is a criminal. He needs to be brought to justice. You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

Slowly, Ryo nodded. Then he glanced at Mana and said, "I think that we should leave now, prince." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and ran up the stairs away from the shrine.

Atem looked down at Mana. "He does have a point. Let's get out of here, Atem," she mumbled.

He nodded and helped her up. As they made their way up the stairs, Atem wondered how he was going to get all three of them onto the horse—he supposed Ryo was small enough that he wouldn't take up much room, but it still wasn't going to be easy. However, this problem was solved when he reached the top of the stairs; Ryo was standing next to the horse, waiting, with Lyna floating behind him.

"I'll see you back at the palace," he whispered. Lyna picked him up and flew away, back toward Memphis.

Atem sighed. He had no idea what to do about that kid. Now that he knew Ryo was related to Bakura, who had hurt and kidnapped Mana, he had mixed feelings about the boy. He was sure that Mana felt the same way. And these two were his friends. What would everyone else think if they knew? Seto would probably try to kill the kid, that much Atem was sure of.

Looking at Mana, Atem said, "Can we agree that we tell no one in the palace—especially Seto—that Ryo is related to a madman?" She nodded.

* * *

><p>Later, back at the palace, Mana was back in the infirmary and Atem had some explaining to do.<p>

"You went after a kidnapper on your own," his father said, disappointed. "No, I'm sorry, that's not true. You took a young boy with you." The pharaoh cast a disapproving glance at Ryo, who just blushed, staring at the floor. "What were you two thinking?"

"I was thinking that Mana would be dead by the time you were all done debating what to do," Atem said, irritation making him disrespectful. "And Ryo was thinking he knew who had taken her and that he could defeat him."

Seto laughed harshly. "With all due respect, my prince, you believed him?"

Atem glared at Seto. Honestly, that priest was so infuriating. "He was right, Seto. He knew who had taken her, where the kidnapper was, and he actually did defeat him. Or, at least, he would have if the coward hadn't run away."

Ryo glanced up at Atem in confusion, unaware that the prince wasn't going to tell the priests or his own father about Ryo's relation to the kidnapper. The pharaoh contemplated his son's words for a moment before turning to Ryo and asking, "Is this true, Ryo?"

Startled, Ryo jumped. "Y-yes, your Majesty," he said quietly.

The pharaoh nodded and said, "Well, I will overlook your rash actions this one time, my son. But I will not be so lenient in the future. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, father," Atem said with a nod.

"All right, then, you two are dismissed."

* * *

><p>Mana smiled when she saw Atem coming toward her. "Hey, how did it go with your dad?" she asked.<p>

"Let's just say Ryo saved me twice today," he said. Mana laughed.

"The prince of Egypt, saved twice in one day by a ten-year-old thief!" She laughed again. "Kind of makes you seem pathetic, don't you think?"

"Well, I wouldn't laugh if I were you. He saved you, too," he said with a smirk.

She returned his smirk and said, "Yeah, but I'm not the prince of Egypt. I'm just a peasant girl."

"True," he admitted. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm okay, Atem, and I really do get tired of that question."

Atem shrugged. "You're hurt, and you were kidnapped, which couldn't have helped matters any, I'm sure."

She sat up to show him how okay she was. "Mahad beat you here. He used his magic to heal me. Why he's a priest instead of a doctor, I'll never understand."

"Sure you will," Atem corrected. "He isn't usually that good at healing magic. As a matter of fact, I would expect that in another couple of hours, you'll be feeling that wound again."

"So why is he here at all?"

"Because he's good at magic. Just not healing magic. That's his weakness." Shrugging, he added, "Everybody has one."

Mana thought about that for a moment. "So, does that mean I should stay here? Or can I get up and at least go back to my room?"

Atem laughed. "You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't strain yourself." Mana smiled and climbed out of bed.

"Then I want to get out of here," she said, walking out. "I spend too much time here." Atem shook his head, laughing, before following her.

* * *

><p>The sun set over the land of Egypt. Most people would be asleep, or at least getting ready for bed. But one man, standing on a cliff overlooking the city of Memphis, had no intention of sleeping tonight.<p>

Bakura was bitter over the humiliation of being scared off by his little brother. What sense did it make for him to be afraid of Ryo? The kid who never hurt a fly? The one everyone always needed to protect? It was humiliating to say the least, and Bakura wasn't going to let the little traitorous brat get away with it.

"Watch your back, Ryo," he muttered. "You officially outrank the pharaoh on my hit list."


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh. XD**

A few weeks later, Mana was up and about again. Atem refused to leave her alone after he had gotten her back from Bakura—he didn't want to risk losing her again.

"So," Mana said with a mischievous smile, "are you going to be sleeping in my room now that I'm out of the infirmary? Or am I sleeping in yours?"

Atem blushed furiously. Did she have to ask that? "No, no that wouldn't be appropriate at all. I'll just post some guards outside your chambers."

Mana sighed. "You know the guards don't care what happens to me."

"Sure they do. At least, if they don't want to tick off Mahad. You haven't seen him when he's angry, and you don't want to. Trust me."

"And since when will Mahad be mad if they don't protect me?"

Atem sighed. She was so naïve sometimes. "Mana, in case you haven't noticed, Mahad actually does like you. Why else would he always visit and tell you absolutely untrue stories about me when I was younger just to embarrass me?"

Mana laughed at his pitiful defense for the embarrassing stories. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Atem." Mana stared up at the tree in front of them. The two had made their way to the garden, which was relatively private. Atem followed her gaze and reached up to pick some of the fruit from the tree for her.

"Here, Mana," he said, handing the fruit to her.

She took it with a smile, then hugged him, causing him to blush. "Thanks, Atem. You're sweet, you know that?" Of course, this comment made him blush even more.

_What is wrong with me?_ he thought. _I've never felt like this before. Everything that she says and does..._

Atem watched her eat and realized what was wrong with him—he was falling in love. With a former thief. Boy, wouldn't his father be thrilled? Not to mention the girl herself, who hadn't even been able to stand him a short while ago. Talk about a doomed relationship. Atem sighed, drawing Mana's attention.

"Is something wrong, Atem?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Atem shook his head. "No, nothing, Mana."

* * *

><p>Mana was kicking herself mentally. She had hugged the prince—what had she been thinking? There was no way that she had a shot at him. He was the prince of Egypt! He had to marry someone of equal status to him, or at least close. Probably he would marry some princess from another land, like Babylonia or Assyria.<p>

_But not me_, she thought sadly.

She was brought out of her stupor by the appearance of white hair in her peripheral vision. Turning, she saw Ryo quickly making his way out of sight. Mana frowned; he had been avoiding her a lot lately. "Hey, Ryo!" she called.

He froze, then turned slowly. "Uh, hi, Mana," he said. "Sorry, can't talk. I've got to, uh..."

"You have nothing to do today at all, Ryo," said Atem. "Why don't you come spend some time with us today? I don't see nearly enough of you."

Ryo kept his head down as he approached the two. Mana sighed. "Ryo, what's wrong? You've been avoiding me these last weeks. You never came to visit me in the infirmary—I would have thought you would be there every chance you get."

Shifting his weight, Ryo muttered something unintelligible. The only word Mana could make out was "brother."

"Ryo, it's not your fault that you have a jerk for a brother, or that he attacked me. What, you think I blame you?"

"I just thought that you might not want me around since my brother..."

"Ryo," Atem said. The boy looked up at him shyly. "You aren't your brother. Him, we don't want around. You, however, are the exact opposite of your brother in many ways. Nobody is upset with you."

Ryo nodded, smiling. Then he frowned and said, "But Bakura won't give up. He'll probably be back any day now. You might want to prepare for another attack from him."

Atem nodded, taking note. Mana figured that the plan to just post guards outside of her room had been abandoned in light of this information—guards wouldn't be able to keep Bakura away from her with the ka that he had.

Ryo ran off to find Isis. Mana looked up at Atem and said with a grin, "So, your room or mine?"

* * *

><p>Bakura smirked as he sneaked into the palace. Even after they had had an intruder in here twice recently—one who hadn't been captured—they still couldn't keep him out. Then again, nobody could keep him away from what he wanted, and what he wanted right now was in the palace.<p>

Quietly, he crept into the room occupied by the young boy, the orphan the prince had invited here. Bakura couldn't stand the sight of the treacherous little brat—the nerve of him, helping the prince instead of his own flesh and blood!

One thing was for sure, that wasn't going to happen again. Ryo wouldn't be siding with anyone where he was going.

"Sleep tight, Ryo," Bakura muttered, pulling out a rope.

* * *

><p>"My prince, will you pay attention?" Atem jumped as Siamun lost his temper with him for about the thousandth time that day.<p>

"I'm sorry, Siamun, what were you saying?"

Siamun shook his head. "My prince, what is the matter with you this morning? You're paying even less attention than usual. Is there something on your mind?"

Atem sighed. He could use some advice, so he might as well come clean. "Actually, yes. You see, I can't stop thinking about this young lady I know." No need to tell him who.

Siamun's eyes lit up. "Well, well, the prince is in love. Who's the lucky lady?"

Blushing, Atem responded, "That is none of your business."

"If she might be our queen one day, then it certainly is my business! Let me guess, Mana?"

"Siamun!" The vizier laughed merrily.

"I knew it! You do spend a great deal of time with her, after all."

Atem waited for the part where Siamun told him that he couldn't marry a peasant, let alone a former criminal, but that part never came. "Are you forgetting, Siamun, that she is a peasant?"

The old man shrugged. "What does that matter? You are your father's son, and your father never put much stock in the rules when it came to choosing a bride."

Atem stared at him incomprehensibly. "Wasn't my mother a princess of some distant land?"

Siamun chuckled, saying, "Yes, but before he met her, your father was going to marry a slave girl. Oh, his father almost had a heart attack when your father told him."

"So, what you're saying is that my father won't object to me marrying a peasant girl?"

"Not at all, my prince. The priests certainly will, but they cannot tell you what to do. You are a living god, after all." Siamun chuckled again, then got a serious look on his face. "Now that that matter is resolved, can we get back to the lesson?" At Atem's bewildered nod, Siamun continued.

* * *

><p>Ryo groaned as he opened his eyes. His head was throbbing as if something heavy had whacked against it. Looking around, Ryo panicked. This wasn't his room—this wasn't even the palace!<p>

_W-where am I?_ He was lying in an alley. There was nobody around, a fact which Ryo couldn't decide whether it was good or bad.

"Hello?" he called out, walking down the alley. There had to be somebody around here.

Hands grabbed him from behind. "Alright, just do what I say and nobody gets hurt, got it?" said a male voice. Ryo turned to see his captor—a boy with blonde hair and brown eyes. Ryo gulped, realizing he was in trouble this time.

"Jono!" a chorus of voices called from behind the blonde. He groaned as a spiky-haired boy came running over. "What are you doing?" the newcomer said.

Other voices whose owners Ryo still couldn't see added to that. "That's no way to treat somebody!" "Yeah, at least let me have a shot at him!" "Honda!" "Sorry, Shizuka."

The blonde, Jono, let Ryo go. "Sorry," he mumbled, not sounding sorry at all. The spiky-haired boy looked at Ryo apologetically. "Sorry about that. Jono doesn't like strangers." It took Ryo a moment to realize that was a joke. He was busy trying to figure out why this boy looked like the prince.

"Oh, great, Jono, look what you've done!" A brunette came forward. Her hair hung to her shoulders, and her blue eyes were filled with concern. "Are you all right?" she asked kindly. Ryo nodded mutely, then shook his head as he changed his mind.

"Well, which is it?" That was the voice that had asked for a shot at him. Ryo looked at the man who had spoken; he had brown hair and looked like a thug, like the blonde.

"I—I don't know..." he muttered. "I-I'm kinda lost. Where am I, exactly?"

Another girl spoke up. This one had light brown hair that hung down to her waist. She bore resemblance to the blonde, so Ryo assumed they were related. "You must be lost. We didn't think anybody else lived here."

"Which is why I say we shouldn't trust him!" the blonde shouted in apparent outrage.

Ryo paled. If these people were all that lived here, then this couldn't be Memphis. "Where am I?" he asked. His voice sounded quiet even to his own ears.

The spiky-haired boy looked at him with concern and answered, "Akhetaten. You're in Akhetaten."

**Okay, so to clarify, Akhetaten is the name of the city that was built by Akhenaten, a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He had the city built as the new capital when he decided to turn Egyptian religion monotheistic and worship only Aten, the sun disk. The city was abandoned after his death. The archaeological site in modern times is called Amarna. Anyhoo, it's a good ways south of Memphis, so Ryo's pretty far from home.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, here's the next chapter. I gotta say, this story's taking twists and turns even I didn't see coming. I have officially lost control of this story XD Anyway, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

"I...I'm sorry. Did you say Akhetaten?" the white-haired boy asked.

Yugi frowned; this kid didn't look well. "Yes, that's right. Are you feeling okay?"

The boy shook his head. "No, no I'm not. I think I'm going to throw up."

"He does look a little green," Anzu said with concern.

Yugi glanced at Jono and said, "Can you get him some water?" Jono nodded grudgingly and went to fetch some water for their guest.

"So, what's you name anyway?" Honda asked, sounding just as suspicious as Jono.

Anzu glared at him and said, "Will you cut it out? He's just a kid!"

"You never know what the pharaoh's gonna send out, though."

The boy looked nervously at Honda and said, "It's Ryo." Then, looking around at the group, he asked, "Who are all of you?"

This Yugi could deal with—introductions. Much easier to deal with than Jono and Honda's distrustful attitudes. "I'm Yugi, and these are my friends."

"Hi, I'm Anzu."

"My name's Shizuka, and this is Honda. The one who just left is Jono, my brother."

Ryo nodded. "Nice to meet you, I think." He was eying Honda and probably thinking about Jono.

"It's all right," Yugi said. "Once they get to know you, they won't be so suspicious." Was it Yugi's imagination, or did Ryo look paler when he suggested that they would be getting to know him?

"I—I can't stay here! I have to get back to—" He stopped, looking nervously at Honda. "Back home. My...my sister will be worried."

Yugi frowned, wondering what Ryo was really going to say. Could Jono and Honda be right? No, that wasn't possible. There was no way this boy was an agent of the pharaoh. He was too panicked about being here, and it was obvious that he wasn't faking.

Jono came over with some water. "Here. Can't believe we're taking care of pharaoh's spies for him, though."

"He's not a spy," Anzu snarled. "He's a lost little boy who needs to find his sister."

Jono looked from Anzu to Ryo. "Your sister?"

Ryo nodded. "She—she doesn't know I'm here. She's probably worried about me."

Yugi could tell the kid had hit Jono's soft spot; family ties always had that effect on him. "Don't worry, kid. We'll help you find your sister." Ryo looked startled, and Yugi couldn't blame him—Jono was unpredictable at times.

"If we're going to help you, though, we need to know where your sister is," Shizuka said.

Ryo looked at the ground. "She...she's in Memphis."

Yugi looked at his friends and saw that they were just as shocked as he was. Memphis? That was way too far for this kid to have wandered on his own. _No wonder he's so shocked. But if he's from Memphis, how did he even get here?_

The one to break the silence was Jono. "Well, sounds like this is a job for our blue-eyed friend."

* * *

><p>Mana waited impatiently for Atem to get out of his lessons. She honestly had been waiting for the stupid vizier to stop lecturing him all morning. Gritting her teeth, she decided that this was more important than whatever the old man was ranting on about.<p>

"Lord Siamun, I hate to interrupt," she said as she entered the room, barely hiding her annoyance, "but I need the prince, now."

"Can't you wait five more minutes, Mana?" Siamun seemed disgruntled. Mana wanted so badly to hit him. She settled for yelling at him instead.

"I've been waiting all day, old man! This is more important than whatever your going on about! This is a matter of life and death!"

Atem rushed over to her. "Mana, calm down," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Mana snapped at him, "I'll calm down when someone can tell me where Ryo is!"

Both Atem and Siamun looked shocked. "Little Ryo is missing?" the vizier asked.

Mana nodded. "Nobody has seen him all day. I checked his room, but he wasn't there." She looked up at Atem and said, "We have to find him! What if something bad has happened to him?"

"It's all right, Mana," Atem said soothingly. "We'll find him." He looked at Siamun and said, "We'll continue this later." The old man nodded vigorously and waved them out of the room.

Atem sighed. "I suppose you want to go out looking for him. And I agree," Atem added when she opened her mouth to say something. "But first we need to tell Mahad so that he can start a formal search. The more people we have looking, the greater the odds that we find him, right?" Mana nodded, and they went to find Mahad.

* * *

><p>Ryo followed the group nervously through this abandoned city. He wasn't sure if he should trust them, but what other choice did he have? Besides, most of them seemed nice. But who was their "blue-eyed friend?" Were there other people here besides just them? What were they doing in Akhetaten in the first place?<p>

They led him to the old palace, and he paused for a moment at the entrance. It seemed like an omen to him—these people obviously didn't want the pharaoh to know they were here, but he might have to tell them that he lived in the palace in Memphis. What would they do when they heard that? Kill him? Or just leave him in the desert where he would surely die at Set's hand?

Ryo pushed those thoughts away, deciding to worry about that later. The group stopped walking suddenly, and Jono called, "Yo, we're back!"

A blonde woman came over and hugged Jono, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Welcome back, hon." She glanced at Ryo and said, "What do we have here?"

"His name's Ryo, and he's about as lost as he can get," Honda answered.

Jono nodded and added, "He needs some help from old blue eyes."

Ryo heard a small sigh. "I wish you would stop calling me that, Jono," a female voice said. Ryo looked for the speaker and saw a woman with long white hair and, as Jono had said, blue eyes. Like Ryo, she looked very much out of place here in Egypt.

The woman walked over and looked at Ryo kindly. "Hello. I'm Kisara. What do you need?"

Ryo looked at Anzu uncertainly, and she smiled at him encouragingly. "Um, I need to...to get in touch with my sister, or get back to her, or something."

"Where is your sister?"

"Memphis."

Ryo waited, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions. Unfortunately, she did. "What part of Memphis?"

Ryo fidgeted, eying the entire group nervously. Kisara frowned, obviously wondering why he was hesitating. He looked at her pleadingly, hoping that she would get the message that he didn't want to say aloud in front of Jono and Honda.

For once, Ryo got lucky. She nodded and cast a disapproving glance at the two thugs, then guided Ryo away from the group. "Now, where is you sister?"

"She—she's in the...the palace." Kisara's eyes widened. "We aren't nobility or anything like that, and she's not even really my sister. We live there because the prince sneaked out of the palace and he caught us stealing some food and he followed us home and invited us to come live in the palace with him and we didn't know he was the prince so we went with him and the pharaoh said we could stay." Ryo didn't breathe until he had gotten all of that out.

Kisara nodded. "All right. What does she look like?"

Ryo was glad that she believed his story, and described Mana for her. "She..she's probably with the prince, and they might not be at the palace. They might be out looking for me by now. But how is telling you this going to help me find them?"

Kisara smiled and said, "You'll see." Then she walked off.

Yugi came over to Ryo and said, "Don't worry, Ryo. Kisara will find your sister for you." Ryo didn't get it, but he let it slide. He would just wait and see what happened. If all else failed, he could always tell the rest of them the truth and hope that they were willing to believe and help him.

* * *

><p>If there was one thing of which Atem was certain as he searched for Ryo, it was who had caused the boy's disappearance. Who else could it be but Bakura? If that man had hurt Ryo in any way, he was really going to pay—if there was a fate worse than death, Atem was going to find it and condemn Bakura to it. Hurting and kidnapping Mana had earned him a death sentence in the prince's mind, but kidnapping his own brother was going too far.<p>

A gasp from Mana drew Atem's attention. She was looking up at the sky. Atem looked, and his eyes widened; a white dragon was flying circles above them. He had heard tale of the white dragon that was supposedly a god, but he had never seen it. The stories surrounding it said that it appeared to those in need of assistance, and that following it would lead you to what you seek.

As the dragon flew off toward the south, Atem didn't even hesitate—he spurred his horse on faster, heading in the direction the dragon was traveling. Maybe it would lead them to Ryo.

* * *

><p><em>Well, this isn't going exactly how I had planned<em>, Bakura thought as he watched the prince ride off in search of Ryo. _But this might actually be better._

The prince was out searching for a lost child; one of the priests was doing the same thing, along with many of the guards. The palace defenses would be weaker now. What better time to attack it?

Bakura smirked as he headed to the palace. It was time to put the pharaoh in his place.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've had a lot of homework. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

Atem dunked his head into the cool water of the Nile. Following that dragon seemed like a really stupid idea now—they were far from Memphis without any supplies, and there was no sign of Ryo so far. If the dragon led them much farther, Atem was considering turning around and heading back home for some more supplies.

There were two reasons he didn't: Mana would never agree to it, and suggesting it would probably cause her to take off on her own, on foot if necessary, to continue following the dragon. Personally, Atem wanted to keep her alive. The other reason was that he didn't know if Ryo was hurt or dying or, worst of all, dead. He had to find the kid before Bakura could do too much damage. Hopefully it wasn't already too late.

He climbed back onto his horse and helped Mana up, and they continued following the dragon, which had stopped when they had, circling them until they were ready to leave again.

_Obviously it wants us to follow it. I just hope it doesn't lead us much farther._

* * *

><p>Yugi was relieved that Ryo's sister was on her way. Kisara would be able to find her faster than anyone else in the world, and she could get her back here for Ryo. Of course, the two might not be able to get back to Memphis on their own, but they could always stay here with Yugi and his friends. What's two more mouths to feed?<p>

He was just imagining Mai's reaction to the idea of two more people living here when he saw the white dragon approaching. Yugi smiled; Kisara had done it. Yugi decided to go greet the newcomer. He headed to the edge of town to meet the girl.

* * *

><p>"Well, this does look like the kind of place Bakura would use for a hideout," Mana said, casting a nervous glance around the city. Obviously nobody lived here; it was the middle of the day, and absolutely nobody was out. "Is it just me, or does that big, huge building over there look fit for a king?" she said jokingly.<p>

Atem's expression was serious as he said, "That used to be the palace, so it's not just you."

"Seriously? Wait, where are we?"

"Akhetaten. The horizon of the Aten."

Mana blinked. "Oh, all right, then. So, why are we here exactly? Do you really think that the dragon was leading us to Ryo? The last time I checked, it leads anyone lost in the desert back to town, not to lost boys in other towns."

"One can only hope that you're wrong, Mana."

Mana was working on a retort to that when she saw someone coming. "Uh, Atem, would you happen to know who that is and why he is here?" she asked, pointing at the approaching figure.

Atem looked and cursed. "There shouldn't be anyone here, except maybe some desert bandits. Let me handle this, Mana."

Mana had absolutely no problem with that. However, their idea that this person was dangerous diminished—and eventually vanished—as the person neared them. It was a boy—he looked about Ryo's age—with...hair like Atem's.

"Are you two related?" Mana asked, baffled. Seriously, how was that hair common enough to exist in multiple bloodlines? It was impossible enough for it to be on one person, let alone two!

Atem shook his head, obviously just as confused as Mana. "I honestly have no idea. I suppose it is possible, but I don't see how."

The boy seemed to notice something off as well. He had been smiling, but his smile suddenly faded as he took in the two people before him.

Mana decided it was best to say something. "Uh, hi. We're looking for a young boy, about ten years old, white hair, blue eyes, goes by the name Ryo. You haven't seen him, have you?"

The boy blinked and said, "So you are his sister?"

Shrugging, Mana said, "Yes, I suppose you could say that. Of course, I don't know what that makes him." She said the last while pointing at Atem, who glared at her halfheartedly. "But does that mean you've seen him?"

The boy nodded. "He was pretty worried about being separated from you. I was wondering how he got here, but now..." He was looking at the gold Atem was wearing.

"He was kidnapped. At least, that's what we assume," Atem said. "Will you take us to him?"

"Sure, I guess. Follow me. I'm Yugi, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mana and this is...uh..." She wasn't sure if she should introduce the prince to this kid or not.

"Atem." Mana glanced at the prince as he spoke. "My name is Atem."

The two followed Yugi to the old palace in Akhetaten. When they arrived, two rather unfriendly-looking people met them at the entrance. Mana cringed, wondering if they had just walked into some sort of a trap.

"Yugi, what are you doing bringing more strangers around here?" said the blonde one. "Especially nobles! I mean, come on, you think he stole that gold?"

"Whoever he is, he must be a friend of Ryo because he brought Ryo's sister, Mana." Mana waved shyly at the mention of her name. She watched the jaws of both thugs drop as they stared at her.

"Uh, can I see my...brother now?" she asked uneasily—those stares were freaking her out.

"Of course you may!" said the brunette. He and the blonde stepped aside and let Yugi, Atem, and Mana through.

"Mana!" Ryo came running straight at her, throwing his arms around her in a hug when he reached her.

"Ryo, are you all right?" she asked, pushing him away so she could get a good look at him. She didn't see any obvious injuries, and Ryo's nod eased her worries.

"What happened, Ryo? Was it Bakura?" Atem asked.

Ryo shrugged, saying, "I suppose. I don't really know how I got here. All I know is that I'm in Akhetaten and these people don't like visitors very much."

"Hey! I resent that!" said Yugi. Mana jumped, looking at him. She had almost forgotten he was even there.

Mana grabbed Yugi and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you so much for taking care of him, Yugi. We owe you a great debt." She looked at Atem, who nodded. Then she turned back to Yugi. "How many of you are there?"

"Well, there's me, Jono, Honda, Anzu, Mai, Shizuka, and Kisara. That makes seven. Why?"

Atem answered for her. "How would you like to come live with us? It's the least we can do to repay you for taking such good care of Ryo."

Yugi considered this for a moment. "I'll have to talk to the others about it. Honda and Jono will probably refuse, but I'll ask anyway."

As he left to talk to the others about the idea of moving to Memphis, Mana called after him, "Just tell them we have food! Plenty of it!" After all, the way to a man's heart—and through his thick skull—was through his stomach.

Yugi grinned; apparently, he thought that would work. He nodded and ran off.

* * *

><p>"What? Move in with those rich snobs?" Yugi had gathered his friends and told them about Mana's offer, and Jono had been the first to show his dislike of the idea.<p>

"We can't trust them, Yugi!" Honda added.

"They have food," Yugi said.

Jono and Honda pondered for a moment. "Fine," Jono said as Honda added, "It couldn't hurt to look into it, I guess." Anzu rolled her eyes at how easy these two were to convince.

"Yugi," Shizuka began, "are you sure you heard them correctly? I mean, there are seven of us. Do they really have enough room for all of us?"

Yugi shrugged. "I guess they do. They only offered to let us live with them after I told them how many of us there were."

"This could all be some sort of trick," Mai said with her arms crossed.

"I don't think so. It's probably genuine gratitude for helping their brother," Anzu interjected.

"So, are we going to take them up on their offer or not?" Jono asked.

In the end, the group agreed that they would at least find out a bit more about this rather generous offer, even though it did seem too good to be true.

* * *

><p>Atem sat with Mana and Ryo in one of the rooms of the old palace, waiting for their hosts to decide. Finally, Yugi entered the room. His expression told them the answer before he spoke.<p>

"We've decided to take you up on that offer, although Jono and Honda told me that I should warn you not to try anything, whatever that means."

Atem nodded, getting to his feet. "All right, then we should prepare for the trip."


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this took so long! I've been busy with a lot of homework. This chapter is pretty short, but the next one will be longer, I promise. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

Bakura smirked gleefully. According to his spies, his enemies were on their way back to Memphis. Well, they were in for a nasty surprise.

In the time since the prince and that one priest had left, Bakura had been busy. He had found it all too easy to defeat the pharaoh and his remaining five priests, even with their Millennium Items. Actually, it was somewhat disappointing—he had been hoping that stealing these items would be more of a challenge. However, he wasn't going to let the lack of difficulty spoil his fun. Since they had presented almost no challenge, Bakura had declared himself pharaoh by the will of Horus. Now he was in charge around here, and he was enjoying it immensely.

"Come at me, prince," Bakura said as he stood on the balcony and gazed out at the city. "Come at me with all you have left."

* * *

><p>"We're almost there now," Atem said, seeing Memphis on the horizon. "There it is," he said, pointing at the city in the distance.<p>

"Finally!" Honda and Jono said simultaneously.

The remainder of the journey should have been easy, but there was something off about Memphis. As the group made their way through the city, Atem couldn't help but notice a distinct air of fear. One glance at Mana told him that she felt it, too.

"There's something very wrong here," Mana said quietly, looking at Atem.

"What do you suppose it is?" he asked her. She shook her head, having no ideas to offer.

A small cry from behind him made Atem turn. The cry had come from Ryo as a man grabbed his arm. Atem's eyes narrowed. He was about to order the man, hidden in the shadows, to let go of the boy when Jono and Honda beat him to the punch—literally. Jono decked the unseen man while Honda pulled Ryo out of the way before joining in the fight.

They would have continued assaulting this man had they not suddenly been enveloped in a strange light and frozen. Atem's eyes widened as he realized that this man was a sorcerer. "Who—?" he began, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice.

"My prince, would you mind telling me what in the name of Ra is wrong with these two?" Mahad said as he emerged from the shadows, gesturing at Jono and Honda.

"Mahad!"

Yugi jumped, looking from the priest to his friend. "You know him?"

Atem nodded. "He's one of the six high priests, as well as an old friend of mine."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Anzu said. "Did he just call you 'prince'?"

Atem sighed, recognizing this reaction. "Yes."

Mana giggled. "You get that reaction a lot, don't you, Atem?" she said.

Atem didn't acknowledge her. Instead, he focused his attention on Mahad. "Mahad, release those two from your spell."

"You haven't answered my question yet," the priest said, crossing his arms.

Atem sighed. "They don't know you, and you just grabbed their friend. Why don't you guess what's wrong with them?"

Mahad's eyes lit up with comprehension and he released Honda and Jono from his spell. "My apologies. I didn't mean to startle anyone. However, it would be best if we held this conversation somewhere a little more private."

"Who is this guy?" Jono asked, whirling on Mahad again. Honda followed suit, cracking his knuckles.

"He's a friend. Mahad," he said, directing his attention back to the priest, "what do you mean by that?"

"It seems some people work all too quickly. Bakura came and conquered Egypt while we were out searching for Ryo."

"What?"

Mahad nodded gravely. "Now, if you don't mind, follow me."

The gang followed Mahad through the town. Nobody said anything—the atmosphere in the group was tense. Atem reasoned that this was due to the news that Mahad had just sprung on him, Ryo, and Mana, as well as the fact that their new friends had just learned that they were following the prince.

"Here we are," Mahad said, gesturing to the ruined building before them. "I apologize if it's a bit cramped. I was only expecting three others, not ten."

Atem stared, stunned. Mana gasped. Atem couldn't blame her. _After all,_ he thought, _what are the odds that Mahad would choose her old home for refuge from Bakura?_


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright, here's the next chapter! There should only be two more after this. Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

The people of Akhetaten looked around suspiciously. Honda and Jono were heard mumbling "I told you so" under their breath. Atem sighed, not really wanting to deal with that right now—he had, after all, just learned from one of his most trusted friends, that his father's kingdom had been conquered.

"Mahad," Atem said, ignoring the glares he felt on his back (probably Jono and Honda), "tell me everything you know about what's happened."

Mahad lowered his head and said, "Bakura attacked the palace while you and I were searching for Ryo. He apparently made short work of the other five priests and your father, taking their items and seizing the kingdom from your father in the name of Horus."

"And what of those he defeated? What happened to my father and the other five priests?"

"I'm not sure, my prince," Mahad said quietly.

All was silent for a moment. Atem was dreading what fate might have befallen his father and friends—Bakura was merciless, after all. They were probably all dead or being tortured. Whatever it took, he absolutely had to get the throne back from Bakura.

"Excuse me, did you forget about us?" said an irritated voice behind him. Atem turned and saw Jono and Honda, both of whom were giving him looks to kill. The prince turned back to Mahad, ignoring the angry men behind him.

"We need a plan to defeat Bakura and take back the kingdom. Who knows what Bakura might do to the people if he is allowed to maintain his reign?"

"Yo, Atem!" A hand on his shoulder forced him around to face Jono. "I asked you a question!"

Atem groaned inwardly, barely concealing his annoyance with this man. "Jono, this isn't the best time to discuss this. I apologize for not telling you the truth about who I am, but right now I need to find a way to save my kingdom, my people, and my friends."

Honda was the first to answer. "Well, why don't you let us help?"

Atem stared at him. The last thing he had expected was for one of the two thugs to offer assistance. Even worse, there was no way that his new friends could help—they didn't have any magic, and Atem doubted that any of them would be much use in a fight. With the exceptions of Jono and Honda, at least.

"That's what I was going to say!" Jono yelled.

"Then, talk!" was Honda's goofy reply.

The very idea that these two were offering to help was ridiculous in Atem's mind. These two were the ones who had been suspicious of him from the start, and they should have been the ones who were the angriest about his deceit.

"Why are you two offering your aid?" Atem asked.

Jono gave him a serious expression and said, "I know this Bakura guy, and any enemy of Bakura is a friend of mine."

"Same here," Honda said with a nod. "That creep's bad new, and we've got a score to settle with him!"

Wondering when they could have met Bakura, Atem nodded. "All right, then."

"We'll help, too!" said Yugi. Atem glanced at the rest of the gang to see determined looks from Yugi, Mai, Anzu, Shizuka, and Kisara.

Atem nodded his thanks. He wasn't sure what good it would do him to have these seven assist him in his fight against Bakura, but he was glad to have allies nonetheless.

* * *

><p>"So, what you're saying is that Bakura has this super powerful spirit ka called Diabound, right?" Yugi asked Atem. He was giving them more information about the enemy so that they could come up with a plan.<p>

"Correct."

"And Ryo has a ka called Lyna who can take control of a monster of the same attribute as her and turn it against its master."

"Correct."

Jono interjected with, "So wouldn't it make sense to send Ryo in with Lyna?"

Mana glared at him and said, "If it weren't for a few facts, I might agree with you. First, Ryo is just a kid. We can't send him after Bakura all alone. Second, Bakura has six of the Millennium Items, which are extremely powerful mystical artifacts that have the power to destroy the world. And third, Bakura is Ryo's older brother. Evil or not, sending a kid out to kill his own brother is just wrong!"

Everyone looked at Ryo, who was staring at the floor. Seeing Ryo's discomfort, Yugi steered the conversation in a new direction. "Okay, well, what about Kisara?"

"What about Kisara?" Atem asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She has a ka, too. The Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Mana's and Atem's eyes widened. The white dragon was the ka of one of these people? "That explains why we were led to Akhetaten by a white dragon," Atem said with a chuckle as he recovered from the shock.

Yugi nodded and said, "Actually, we were trying to find you guys. That's why she led you back. But anyway, Kisara could fight Bakura."

Mahad shook his head. "It's too risky to send one person to fight Bakura. He still has six Millennium Items."

"Then maybe we should all fight him," Anzu suggested tentatively.

"Does everyone have a ka?" Atem asked skeptically. Anzu looked down.

Jono stood up and said, "Well, how will we know if we don't try to use them? I say we attack Bakura right now! This is our best bet!"

"Jono, we can't just rush into this!" Shizuka said.

"She's right," Mai added. "This Bakura sounds like a tough opponent."

Mana sighed. Was there any way to defeat Bakura? Wait a minute...

"Hey, I have an idea!" she said. "And I'm sure it will work."

* * *

><p>That night, the group launched their attack. The plan was simple: Mana, being a skilled thief, would sneak into the palace and steal as many of the Millennium Items as she could. While she was doing that, Jono and Honda would sneak into the palace dungeons and search for the priests and the pharaoh, in the hopes that they were still alive. If they were, Jono and Honda would break them out, and Mana would return the stolen items to their owners. In the likely event that Jono and Honda found no one, the Items would at least be out of Bakura's hands, and Atem would claim the Millennium Pendant, which would give him more power. Then, he, Ryo, Mahad, and Kisara would enter the palace, challenge Bakura for the throne, and, hopefully, defeat him. Somehow, Atem couldn't shake the feeling that this plan wasn't going to work.<p>

He had argued that they needed to come up with a better plan, but nobody could think of anything, so this was what they were going with. His main reason for opposing the plan was the fact that it sent Mana straight into the lion's den—the Millennium Items were sure to be with Bakura, who was sure to have guards outside his chambers. Even Mana couldn't avoid the guards that well, could she? _I hope she can pull this off, _Atem thought as Mana, Jono, and Honda left to initiate the plan.


	15. Chapter 15

**And here's the next chapter! Time to initiate the plan and see if it works! Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh.**

Mana crept through the palace, making as little noise a possible. She wasn't totally sure that this plan of hers was going to work—stealing from somebody's home was a lot different than stealing from a stand in the market—but she had to try. For Atem.

_So far, so good_ she thought as she crept up to the entrance to the pharaoh's chambers. She was sure that Bakura would have made them his own by now. Her suspicions were confirmed by the presence of guards just outside the door.

Mana sighed in annoyance and thought of how ironic it was that the guards were in her way no matter who's side she was on. She wasn't worried about getting past them—that part would be easy. All she had to do was cause a diversion. No big deal. Mana grinned at the bird on her shoulder—her hawk, ironically sharing a name with their new friend Anzu. There was a reason she had brought a bird into the palace, and this was it.

"Ready girl?" she cooed at Anzu. "Now's your chance to show those guards what you're made of."

Anzu flew off to get the guards' attention. Mana waited a minute before...

_SCREEEEEEEE!_ There it was! The guards were yelling and swatting at the bird as she attacked them. When the bird flew off, the guards went after her, waving their spears and yelling in indignation.

Mana giggled as she watched them run off, abandoning their post. Then she turned to the entrance to the pharaoh's chambers, hoping that Bakura hadn't been awakened by all the noise.

* * *

><p>"Ouch! Honda, you idiot, that was my foot!"<p>

"Sorry," Honda grumbled. The two were sneaking around the palace dungeon, after having knocked out a few guards to gain admittance. So far, they were having no luck finding the priests or pharaoh. That, however, was about to change.

"Look! Do you think that's them?"

"How the hell should I know?" Jono answered. "I've never seen the stinking priests!"

"Excuse me," a female voice whispered. "But who are you two?"

Jono and Honda looked at the speaker—a woman with long, ebony hair and blue eyes. "Uh, Jono and Honda. We're looking for the priests. You guys wouldn't happen to be them, would you?"

Somebody scoffed. Jono looked to see a familiar face. "Well, Jono, why would we tell you?"

"Because, Seto, I'm trying to help the prince of Egypt, Atem." Jono glared at the other man.

"You know him?" Honda asked.

"Yeah, we used to live in the same village until it was destroyed by bandits. Anyway, that's not important! Are you the priests or aren't you?"

"Of course. Not all of us are always going to be scum like you." Jono gritted his teeth, very much wanting to put that loud mouth in his place.

Honda, sensing danger, said, "Great, Jono, get them out of there so that we can get them back to the boss." Jono nodded—he would settle the score with Seto later—and proceeded to pick the lock on the cell.

* * *

><p>As she entered the room, Mana couldn't believe her luck. Bakura was still sleeping. "He sleeps like a rock," she mumbled. She looked around, searching for any clue as to where the Items were hidden.<p>

She quietly crossed to a trunk on the other side of the room, keeping an eye on Bakura as she did so. It would be just her luck if he woke up right now. She slowly opened the trunk and barely contained her joy at finding the seven Millennium Items all resting within. Quickly, she removed the Items from the trunk and closed the lid.

Glad that this had gone so smoothly, she turned to leave only to be frozen in fear.

"Can I help you?" Bakura said with a sneer.

Mana glanced around quickly, trying to find another exit. Well, there was the balcony, but that wouldn't help her much. Bakura was aware of this, too. He moved toward her, slowly, menacingly.

_There's no other choice!_ She bolted for the balcony. She had to get these Items away from him or there was no way they could defeat him! Standing on the balcony, holding a sackful of Millennium Items, Mana contemplated her chances of survival as she peered over the edge. Somehow, it seemed higher than usual.

Footsteps behind her told her that she was out of time. Bakura would catch her if she didn't go now. Taking a deep breath and begging Bes to protect her, she jumped.

"Idiot!" Bakura called. "I'll have those Items back when you die!"

Mana, thinking the same thing, was stunned when she landed. She was alive. Mentally reminding herself to thank Bes later, she ran for the palace gates as Bakura called for the guards.

* * *

><p>There was a lump in Atem's throat. He had hoped that he was imagining it, but he was wrong—that was Bakura's voice he heard, calling for the guards. <em>I knew this was a bad idea. Why did I let them go through with this?<em>

"Yo, Atem!" Turning, he was relieved to see Jono and Honda coming toward him, followed by the priests.

"Jono! Honda! You found them." He turned to the five priests and asked, "Is everyone all right?"

There were nods and yeses from the priests. Atem noticed that his father wasn't among them. "Where is my father?"

The five priests lowered their heads solemnly. Atem's blood ran cold. His father was...

Forcing that thought from his mind, Atem turned back to the palace. Now he had double the reason to end Bakura.

* * *

><p>Mana gasped for breath as she ran. The gates loomed before her. Her eyes widened as she realized that every guard in all of Egypt was there as well.<p>

_Shoot! How am I going to get past all of them?_

Stopping, she looked around. The wall was too high to climb, no matter what, but maybe she could get a message to Atem if she used Anzu. Praying that the guards hadn't seen her yet, she headed for the garden. Once in the garden, she buried the Millennium Items under the plum tree. _This way, if I get caught, Bakura still won't have the Millennium Items._

She whistled for Anzu. The hawk came swooping over, and Mana handed her the only Item she hadn't buried—the Millennium Necklace, which was small enough for a bird to carry. Sending the necklace to Atem would be enough of a cry for help—and it would show him that Bakura didn't have the Millennium Items anymore, just in case she didn't make it out of here.

No sooner had the bird taken flight than Mana was grabbed from behind. "Where are they?" Bakura snarled at her. "What did you do with them?"

Mana laughed. "Too late, Bakura. I don't have them anymore. They've been removed from palace grounds."

The thief looked murderous. Mana was glad that he had bought her bluff, but she knew for sure that she was in a world of trouble now. "Tell me where they are." He turned her to face him, shaking her. "Tell me where they are and maybe I won't hurt you!"

Mana shook her head. "It doesn't matter if I do tell you. Somebody else has them now."

"I am the king of thieves, girl! There isn't a mortal in this world I can't rob! Now, _tell me who you gave them to!_"

Mana gulped, hoping that Atem would hurry up and get her out of here.

* * *

><p>Atem's heart stopped when the hawk swooped down on him. Clenched in her talons was the Millennium Necklace. That meant that Mana had succeeded, but what had happened to her? Was she all right? Did Bakura still have the other six Items?<p>

Trying not to panic, Atem handed the Necklace to Isis. "We need to act quickly. Mana has been captured."

"But doesn't this mess up our plan a bit?" Anzu asked worriedly. "What if Bakura still has the other Items?"

At these words, the hawk screeched and ruffled her feathers. Ryo was the one to speak. "I'm sure Mana hid the other Items before she was captured. That's why she sent the Necklace, so we would know that the Items were away from Bakura."

Atem smiled at the boy. "That's just what I was thinking, Ryo. Which means that someone has to go in there and get the other six Millennium Items. I—"

"I'll go," Ryo interrupted. "I'm the only one who stands a chance against my brother right now. The priests don't have their Millennium Items and are in no condition to fight anyway, Yugi and his friends don't have kas, and we can't risk you. Besides, do you have a ka that can defeat Diabound?"

He said all of this before Atem could interject, and it bothered Atem to find that he was right. "All right, but be careful, Ryo."

Ryo nodded. Anzu screeched again and flew off, Ryo following behind.

"Are you sure about this, Atem?" Anzu asked. "He's just a kid, after all, and that's his brother he's up against."

"There's no other choice. We'll have to rely on Ryo if we want to get the Millennium Items back from Bakura."

**Bes was the Egyptian god who was most popular with the common people of Egypt. He's a protector god, who protects women and children above all others.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, this is technically the last chapter. However, there will be an epilogue, so that's one more chapter for this story! Enjoy! I don't own Yugioh. I've made some changes, which I think makes the story flow a little better. Let me know what you think!**

Bakura was pissed. This girl had stolen the Millennium Items from him, and she had probably sent them to the prince. However, Bakura was certain that he would be able to get them back. All he had to do was play his cards right—and this girl would be extremely useful for him.

The thief king was certain that the prince cared deeply for this girl. If her life were in danger, Bakura would be willing to bet that the prince would gladly hand over the Millennium Items. After all, wasn't his girlfriend's life worth far more than his father's kingdom?

* * *

><p>The guards were on hyper alert, trying to make up for letting someone steal the Millennium Items and set the five priests free. However, they still managed to miss the young girl flying over the palace wall—in their defense, they were looking for something a bit bigger. For Ryo, this was a stroke of luck.<p>

"Never thought I would be so glad to have a girl as my ka," he said to himself as Lyna placed him on the ground and vanished. "Now, the first thing I should probably do is find the Millennium Items." As he said this, he watched the hawk known as Anzu fly in circles above him, waiting.

Ryo followed the hawk to the palace garden, where Anzu landed in the plum tree. Ryo stared at the bird for a moment, then looked at the ground beneath the tree.

_I guess Mana buried the Items under this tree?_ He wasn't sure if that was what Anzu was telling him, or if she just liked this tree. Whatever the case, Ryo knelt down in the dirt and began to dig.

* * *

><p>Atem was anxious as it was. The guards searching the city didn't help that any. He had this foreboding feeling—he was certain that Mana was in trouble, and he wanted to go save her.<p>

_Ryo, hurry up,_ he thought. _Otherwise I'm going in after you._

* * *

><p>"I am telling you for the last time, I don't know where he is!" Mana cried as the whip cracked against her back again. "Besides, he doesn't have your Millennium Items!"<p>

"Quit lying to me, woman!" Bakura bellowed. "If you tell me the truth right now, I might spare his life. Yours, too. Otherwise you'll both die very painfully when I do get my hands on him, and I will, trust me."

Mana bit back a retort. _Well, if he wants a different answer, I've got one for him._ "Okay, okay, he's in Akhetaten."

Bakura smirked maliciously. "Good girl." He turned to one of he guards in the room and said, "Send some guards to Akhetaten and bring back the former prince!" The guard bowed and ran from the room. Mana had to fight the self-satisfied smile that was threatening to uncover her lie. After all, the thief king wasn't an idiot—it took some seriously good acting to fool him. Mana was just relieved that her act was working. Well, so far, anyway.

* * *

><p>"Ah!" Ryo cried as he pulled the sack with the Millennium Items out of the dirt. "Anzu, thank you!" he said to the bird. She screeched and flew away in response.<p>

Ryo wasted no time in summoning Lyna the Light Charmer, but he didn't leave with her—he handed the Millennium Items to her and sent her back to the others. Then, once he was sure that the Items were out of his brother's hands, he set off to find Mana.

* * *

><p>When Atem saw Lyna coming toward their hideout, he was relieved. That didn't last long—Ryo hadn't come back with his ka.<p>

_Damn! He must have gone to save Mana on his own. I _knew _I shouldn't have let him go in there!_

Now he had to move quickly. He pulled out the Millennium Pendant for himself and returned the other Items to their respective priests. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he set off for the palace to confront Bakura.

* * *

><p>"Sir!" a guard said to Bakura upon entering the room. "The prince Atem has arrived. He demands an audience with you, and he has the Millennium Pendant."<p>

Bakura scowled at Mana, then turned back to the guard. "Well, I'm not too worried about that. However, I suppose I should go welcome my visitor." And he swept out of the room, leaving Mana alone with two guards.

_If I weren't tied up,_ she thought angrily, _I could get away from these goons easily._

That's when she saw it—an orange ball with pink wings. _Isn't that...?_

It tackled one of the guards, knocking him into the other one. "Hey!" The two turned their attention on the small spirit, ready to fight. "So, think we can beat this pitiful excuse for a ka?"

"Oh, definitely."

"No, you can't." Mana's eyes widened. That voice! What was he doing here? _Atem, when I get my hands on you... You've got some serious explaining to do,_ she thought angrily.

"Who said that?" The guards pointed their spears in the direction of the voice.

"Just me," Ryo said, stepping out of the shadows. "The prince of Egypt."

The guards just stared at him. Mana wondered what he was playing at—he wasn't Atem, and there was no way these guys would fall for that. "Uh, sure, kid. And I'm priest Seto."

Ryo smirked in a way that was quite uncharacteristic of him. "No, I'm serious. Your pharaoh is my brother." Mana almost laughed out loud at the looks on the guards' faces when he said that. Not that she had been expecting it either, but still, their expressions were priceless. Then, when they threw themselves down on the ground, she burst out laughing.

"M-my prince, is there something I can do for you?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes, you can let my friend go." The guards looked ready to object, but Ryo continued, "My brother isn't feeling well tonight. You see, this girl is engaged to marry him, and once he comes to his senses, he's going to be very angry at whoever did this to her. Now, I'll cover for you two if you let her go now. After all, you can't tell the pharaoh that he did this to his fiance—he'd kill you on the spot. So why don't you just let me help you while I'm feeling generous?"

Mana was certain that the guards weren't going to fall for this, but she was wrong—a moment later, she was free and the guards were bowing and apologizing.

"Come on, Mana," Ryo said in that voice that wasn't like him. "Let's find my brother and knock some sense into him." He glanced at the monster behind him—his ka, Lyna. Mana nodded, going along with Ryo's act, and followed him from the room.

* * *

><p>"Bakura!" Atem shouted. He didn't care if he attracted every guard in the palace as long as he got Bakura's attention. "Come out here and face me if you have the courage!"<p>

The palace gates opened. "Well, hello there, 'prince'," Bakura said with a sneer. "Can I help you?"

"You know the answer to that, Bakura." Atem narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Return my kingdom to me. And, for your sake, I hope that my father is the only one you've killed!"

Bakura laughed maniacally. "What if he isn't? What then, 'prince'?"

"You don't want me to answer that."

"Interesting. Oh, well, it's sort of a moot point anyway. You aren't going to defeat me."

"Are you sure?" As Atem said this, the Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared behind him.

Bakura stuttered, "I-Is that th...the white dragon?"

"Indeed. And it's on my side, Bakura! Now, surrender!"

Recovering, Bakura said, "That's not going to happen, 'prince'! After all, I still have Diabound!" With that, he called forth his ka.

Atem sighed. "So, this is how it's going to be. Very well, but I should warn you that I don't even need the white dragon to defeat you!"

"W-what?"

"Obelisk the Tormentor, come forth!"

Using the power of the Millennium Pendant, Atem summoned one of the three legendary gods of Egypt, the creatures that no one before him had been able to control. The blue giant appeared behind him, and Bakura contemplated his chances of victory.

"S-so what if you have that? Diabound won't be defeated by your god!"

Atem narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that. Obelisk, attack his Diabound with God Hand Crusher!"

When Obelisk's attack hit Diabound, Bakura was blown backwards and nearly knocked off his feet. "T-that took a lot of my ba. Time for Plan B." Looking back at Atem, he said more loudly, "Fine, so your monster might be able to defeat Diabound! But what about your girlfriend? She's still mine! And one of my men is waiting to end her if you win this battle!"

Atem froze. If he attacked again, Mana would die? "That's a bluff! Your men are my men! They wouldn't follow through with your commands if you were about to be overthrown!"

Bakura sneered. "Are you sure about that?"

"It doesn't matter if he is or not, Bakura!" a voice called from behind Bakura. He turned and was face to face with his younger brother, Ryo.

"What's that supposed to mean, you little brat? And what are you doing in here anyway?"

Ryo grinned at Atem and said, "Don't worry about Mana! She's fine! Although you might want to hire better guards when you take the throne because the ones you have now didn't even recognize me."

"What did you do, Ryo?" Bakura bellowed.

"I told them the truth: That your my brother, which makes me prince. Then I stretched the truth a bit, but that's not important. The point is you lost your only advantage!"

Atem smiled at Ryo and said, "Which means that Obelisk is free to finish you off!" As he spoke, the monster attacked Diabound again. Bakura wasn't going down that easily; Diabound slipped into the ground, avoiding Obelisk's second attack. Atem cursed.

"Surprised?" Bakura asked tauntingly. "Well, let me explain: That's Diabound's special ability. A person's ka gains the powers that he wishes he had, and, as a thief, the most useful power for me would be the ability to move through solid ground!" Laughing, he added, "If you're going to destroy Diabound, you have to find him first!"

Atem was starting to think that he might need some help after all. No sooner did he think this than he heard Ryo call out, "Atem, behind you!"

Turning, Atem just had time to see Diabound there before the beast attacked him. Atem acted quickly and had Obelisk block the attack just in time. But before the god could attack Diabound, the creature went back into the ground.

Atem cursed. How was he supposed to defeat a creature that could hide in its surroundings that effectively? Bakura laughed, obviously certain that Atem wouldn't find a way to win this.

Why don't you just give up?" Bakura said, his confidence fully restored now. "Even if you do have an Egyptian god, you can't defeat Diabound!"

"Then I'll just attack you!" Atem declared. "Obelisk, attack Bakura!"

The thief was, however, still one step ahead of him. He smirked and said, "Go ahead. I hope your monster's attack isn't too powerful, though. After all, little Ryo could very well be in the line of fire."

Ryo started to move out of the way, but Bakura grabbed him and pulled him closer. "And now, he definitely is!"

With Ryo in danger, Atem was reluctant to attack Bakura. There had to be a way to defeat him without anyone getting hurt! Besides him, of course.

Ryo solved that problem for him. "Lyna the Light Charmer, come forth!"

"What? Wait a minute, you can't do that!" Bakura protested.

"Yes I can. And I should have done it in the first place! Lyna, take control of Diabound!" The ka held her staff out in front of her, using her special power to take control of Diabound. The Happy Lover that was her partner did a flip, happy that they were being of assistance. "And, now that Diabound's loyalties lie elsewhere, I think it's time that we put an end to this!" As he said it, Diabound emerged from the ground, right in front of Obelisk.

Atem smiled and said, "Nice work, Ryo. Now, Obelisk, finish this!" He turned to Bakura and said, "I'm tired of dealing with you. You're worse than Seto, and that's saying something. Begone!" He called out Obelisk's attack: "God Hand Crusher!"

The attack hit Diabound dead-on, destroying the ka. Bakura doubled over, coughing up blood. "Y-you..." he gasped. Then, he fell to the ground, dead. Ryo stared at the ground, tears running down his cheeks.

Calling Obelisk back, Atem walked over to Ryo. "I tried to scare him into surrendering, but it didn't work. I'm sorry, Ryo."

Ryo wiped his eyes and said, "Don't worry about it. This is probably for the best. Besides, he wasn't exactly the world's best brother..."

Atem decided to change the subject. "So, what did you mean you stretched the truth a bit?"

Ryo grinned. "Oh, I told the guards that Mana was the pharaoh's fiance. It's not too farfetched, since you're about to become pharaoh and you love Mana."

Startled, Atem blushed.


	17. Epilogue

**Okay, I'm not really satisfied with this, but I don't know what to do with it right now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've made some changes to the last chapter, so go back and read that. I think it flows better and seems less rushed now. Anyway, here's the epilogue! I don't own Yugioh.**

"Give it back!" Ryo sighed, wondering what his niece and nephew were up to this time. Quietly, he crept over to the two kids.

"Hey, guys!" he said loudly, startling the kids. They turned, looking up at him.

"Uncle Ryo!" they cried together.

He crossed his arms. "What's going on here, you two?" he asked sternly.

"She's stealing my stuff again!" the boy cried. He had wild brown hair and purple eyes.

"Am not!" the girl retorted. Her black hair flowed down her back, and her green eyes burned a hole into her brother as she glared at him. "I didn't take any of your stuff! It's not my fault you keep losing it!"

"Khalfani! Eboni!" a woman's voice called. Ryo smirked, glancing over his shoulder at his sister, Mana. "What have I told you two about fighting?"

The two looked down in shame. They knew they were in trouble—their mother was tired of them always fighting. It was worst on their birthday: Khalfani claimed that Eboni stole his birthday, and she always retorted by pointing out that he was born after her. Honestly, they got along about as well as their parents had when they first met.

"Are you two at it again?" The twins cringed upon hearing their father's voice. Ryo barely suppressed a laugh at the looks on their faces. They knew they were in deep trouble when their father caught them, even more so than when their mother did. "You know better than that. Khalfani, what is Eboni supposed to have stolen this time?"

"Uh, n-never mind. I probably just lost it," the boy muttered without looking up. Atem smirked at Mana, who grinned back.

"Well, then, maybe you should be looking for it instead of fighting with your sister?"

The boy nodded quickly and ran off. Eboni stood there, head low, waiting for her father to address her.

"Eboni, whatever you stole from him, make sure that it's back in his room before dinner. Otherwise you won't be getting any, understood?"

She nodded and scurried off. Atem shook his head, chuckling. "Those two just can't get along at all, can they?"

"Well, can you blame them?" Ryo said with a smirk. "Honda and Jono are their role models. I would probably act like that too if I spent all day with them."

"Mai needs to get her husband under control already," Mana sighed, shaking her head.

Atem pulled Mana into his arms, planting a kiss on the top of her head, and said, "Don't tell her that. Life around here has been much more interesting with them around."

"With who around?" Yugi asked, coming up behind Atem.

"Your friends."

"Oh, yeah, they do make life interesting."

It had been five years since Bakura had taken over Egypt. Yugi and his friends had moved into the palace. Jono and Honda had become guards, Mai and Jono were married, Anzu was pregnant with Yugi's child, and Kisara and Seto had fallen for each other. That was probably the strangest thing that had happened—Seto falling for Kisara. Atem had seen Mahad and Isis's marriage coming, but Seto had completely surprised them all.

Atem thought about the events of the past as he held Mana close. To think that he would never have met her if he hadn't sneaked out of the palace that one day. If he hadn't, he never would have brought that thief back, and never would have found the love of his life. Granted, though, he could do without his daughter being a thief. He always said he was sure she got that from her mother, at which point Mana slapped him every time.

One thing was certain: Even if he could, Atem wouldn't change anything that had happened these past years. His life had changed for the better, all because of one trip out of the palace.

That was why he kept encouraging his kids to do the same.


End file.
